Good piece on Canada, terrorism and Harper by professor Stephen Walt. If Prime Minister Harper is genuinely interested in helping make Canada more secure, a bit of reflection on the efficacy of Canadas response is in order. The issue isnt about whether our leaders are being intimidated; it is simply about the efficacy of their reflexive response. A responsible leader ought to consider whether intervening in the turbulent and far-reaching convulsions now roiling the Arab and Islamic world is going to improve that situation -- and make his or her fellow citizens safer. Or is military intervention likely to make those convulsions worse and increase the very slight risk that his or her country now faces? Unfortunately, sensible considerations such as these tend to get lost in the patriotic bluster that typically follows violent and dramatic events, and the overly muscular responses that were already seeing in Ottawa make it more likely they will happen again.
Posted on: Sat, 25 Oct 2014 21:11:45 +0000