Stephen Harper's diplomatic debacles

Anurag Sinha, Diplomacy and Foreign Policy Consultant, The Mark:

Soured relations with the UAE are just another example of Canada’s suffering international standing.

Our government’s recent failures in matters of foreign policy need to be taken seriously by Canadians. Following the diplomatic spat with the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and the debacle at the UN, there has been a zealous emphasis in certain quarters that foreign policy – or what happens at the UN, for that matter – does not matter to the lives of ordinary Canadians. This line of thinking is not helpful and certainly does not advance Canada’s international priorities.

In a democracy, attending to matters of national interest is a centuries-old bargain reached between citizens and their government. Citizens trust that while they manage their work, family, and community, the government of the day will guard and protect national honour and interests. The Harper government has unfortunately failed to keep its part of the bargain.

In international relations, it is expected that countries will pursue their own national interests. It is also expected that nations will cajole and collude at multilateral institutions and clubs. This should not come as a surprise to anyone, including the Harper government – this is what diplomacy is all about. Headley Bull, a great scholar of international relations, defined diplomacy as “the conduct of relations between states and other entities with standing in world politics by official agents and by peaceful means.” According to this definition, Canada’s recent conduct has been less than satisfactory.

The UAE used Camp Mirage as a bargaining chip in negotiations over flight slots and landing rights in Canada. It is normal for nations to mix business and security interests to advance their overall strategic objectives in foreign affairs, and it should have been expected that the UAE would have seen the UN vote as an opportunity to voice its displeasure. The UN vote, the controversy over more landing rights for Emirates, the closing of Camp Mirage to Canadian forces, the refusal by the UAE government to let Minister Peter Mackay’s plane enter its airspace, and the reluctance on the part of Minister Peter Van Loan to visit the UAE all demonstrate who is in charge of Canada’s UAE bilateral relations and general international influence.

The Harper government has come around on a couple of important matters of foreign policy, such as opening up to China and initiating a conversation with India. Simultaneously, however, a certain diplomatic acumen seems to be missing on a variety of strategic fronts. Earlier in the year at the Arctic Summit, Canada threw a party and invited Russia, the U.S., Norway, and Denmark, and excluded Finland, Iceland, Sweden, and Canada’s own Inuit leaders. A similar lack of tact was evident during the meeting of the G8 development ministers when the issue of child and maternal health was broached.

In the world of international power politics, nations observe other nations. Canada is being watched because it has a lot to offer to the rest of the world. Let’s hope that the Harper government will have its eyes wide open as other nations try to test the waters in years to come. Canada’s inability to articulate a negotiating positions vis a vis the UAE will be carefully observed and factored in by several countries as they configure their own negotiating positions with respect to Canada. The list may include Russia with regards to the disagreements in the Arctic, the EU states concerning the free trade agreement negotiations, and India with whom Canada is eying another trade agreement.

The Canadian public will certainly not want to be taken for a ride yet again on another matter of foreign policy should it arise. This calls for a robust bilateral engagement with all those who have the capacity to disrupt Canadian interests. The UN vote clearly shows that multilateralism does not work in the absence of effective bilateralism. That is the lesson for the Harper government and Canadian diplomacy.