DFAIT logo partnership The logo for the by design elab, an independent research development and production think tank specializing in online forums for policy development, incubated in 1997 at the McLuhan Program at the University of Toronto
DFAIT Home Site Map Help Policies Partners Feedback Netcast Français
 
Welcome
Message from the Minister
Dialogue Paper
Answer Questions
View Answers
Discussion Forum
 

Conclusion: The World We Want

Thank you for participating in the Dialogue on Foreign Policy. The interactive web site is now closed. The Minister's report will appear on this web site once it is released.

This Forum is bilingual, and participants post messages in their language of choice.

Canada: Home of UN

Contributor: edmassey9

Date: 2003-03-10 11:35:10


If the United States and Great Britain invade Iraq in violation of international law (ie. without a new UN resolution specifically madating war) as they say they will regardless of the upcoming vote on the proposed resolution, then they will have put the final nail in the current UN's coffin.

This will be the opportunity for
Canada to initiate a call for the rebirth of the UN.

A UN where no one has a veto.
A UN where representatives are elected from the people of their country.
A UN that would be funded by individual contributions.
A UN that would have an international police force and central judicial system that charged, arrested, tried, convicted or aquited and as necessary sentenced leaders for their crimes against the international community (or their own community).
In cases where the convicted individuals were in control of military capabilities the member nations would position their combined military capabilities to enforce the sentence.

Case in point: Saddam Hussein and his Regime would be facing extinction
As would Ariel Sharon and his extremists
As would the perpetrators of the current genocide in the Congo
As would Tony Blair and George Bush if they follow through on their invasion threat (of course Bush would already be on the list for the civillians he manslaughtered in Afghanistan)
It's not inconceivable that every leader in the world (elected or otherwise) would be facing some action from this Canadain based new world order concept.
At the lower end of the scale our own Jean Chretien would be facing charges for his part in the pepper spraying of the anti-globalization demonstrators.
Any way you get my picture.
It would take a lot of money and a lot of effort on the part of a lot of people.
Of course the "security council clone" of this very UN replacement I'm proposing would no doubt be forced to act in a way that would lead to the deaths of the innocent and possibly a nuclear war and therefor have to put themselves on trial.
It's a sick and complex world full of wicked people that we live in.
But there's always Plan B:
With the demise of the current UN we could sit by and watch as anarchy, civil war and revolution break out around the globe and eventually culminates with the last human being drawing their last breath and inaudibly uttering . . . catch twenty t . .

Reply to this message

Show in topic

Canada: Home of UN

Contributor: fatmomma

Date: 2003-03-11 00:20:26


Our best hope is the American people will realized that THEY need a regime change and elect a more rational leader.

Reply to this message

Canada: Home of UN

Contributor: cfallon

Date: 2003-03-11 16:06:48


They probably will as they did with Bush Senior.

They will replace Bush Jr. with a president much more to the "peace-nicks" liking.

One who only orders attacks on other countries when his barely legal girlfriends/interns are revealing the torrid bits of their passionate affairs.

Reply to this message

Canada: Home of UN

Contributor: banquosghost

Date: 2003-03-11 20:19:49


"One who only orders attacks on other countries when his barely legal girlfriends/interns are revealing the torrid bits of their passionate affairs." Now I know who you are! You're Rush Limbaugh aren't you?

Really that's beneath you.

They're more likely to replace GWB with someone who articulates a vision for rebuilding their economy. Have you looked at their budget defecit projections lately? They might even pick someone with a proven ability at nuanced thought, who has skill at diplomacy and can begin rebuilding their damaged international alliances, who might keep her/his word about promised reforms, who might actually be a free-trader not a protectionist available to any lobby that walks in the door and they might even find themselves, like New Zealand did, electing someone who straight out says "We have to raise taxes." Gopod knows the fiscal hole this administration is digging is getting deeper by the second.

Reply to this message

Canada: Home of UN

Contributor: critictrue1

Date: 2003-03-12 09:24:50


Perhaps Liebermann will become the next president and Ari will remain as spokesman. Rothchilds don't mind lending the US more money. It is so simple. Simly enter the amount electronically and collect 5% interest.

Reply to this message

Canada: Home of UN

Contributor: cfallon

Date: 2003-03-12 11:03:35


Banquo,

Yes, its true, I am Rush Limbaugh.

Look, people who disagree with Bush have pasted all sorts of ugly motives to his actions. They have also painted anyone who thinks Bush might have a point as being equally vicious and stupid.

So, its a bit of quid pro quo.

On your comments regarding the economy, I agree entirely that the US government is being rather reckless with their spending.

Reply to this message

Canada: Home of UN

Contributor: fatmomma

Date: 2003-03-12 23:26:52


Even if we did not suspect his motives; his words are not to be trusted.
The attack on Afghanistan was supposed to only to target terrorists. There was too much collateral damage and innocent civillians killed ; some only targeted because they were tall and could be Osama.
What has happened to "rebuilding Afghanistan" Iran is spending more money rebuilding Afghanistan than any other country.
Many of G W Bush'd proofs of Iraq"s WMD have been found to be fraudulent or irrelovant. The Drone planes that were to drop bomblets and that he claimed the weapon inspectors didn't reveal were made of balsam wood???? very scary
I do not like Saddam; I believe he deliberately provoked the Americans.
He was looking for a confrontation.
But while iraq is disarming under the weapons inspector of the UN. It is not a rational time to attack. America's insistence on attacking at this time is making them look as bad as the terrorists. America's insistence that its military not be tried for war crimes and it's refusal to join the War Crimes Tribunal makes its actions very suspect to me

Reply to this message

Canada: Home of UN

Contributor: cfallon

Date: 2003-03-13 15:56:14


I think you have a legitimate cause to suspect their motives, given that over their history, like so many other countries, they have failed to live up to the high standards they set for themseleves.

Whether or not Iraq is disarming is probably unknowable. Yes, there are gestures that it has made, always at the last minute. But these gestures, in my mind, reveal Saddam's motives more than anything.

I think America's objections to the war crimes tribunal are legitimate ones. I'm not saying that these concerns cannot be overcome. But the US is the land of frivolous lawsuits, so that they would be paranoid that frivolous accusations be levelled in the ICC or WCT is understandable!:>

Reply to this message

Canada: Home of UN

Contributor: banquosghost

Date: 2003-03-13 20:34:11


Ha! Good point.

The real reason the US is against the World Court is that several prominent American citizens would be among the first called to defend their actions. Congress and The White House know this perfectly well. The US's resistance to airing their dirty linen for the judgement of other's is not unjustified *but* when considered in concert with many other US non-multilateral decisions over the last few years the conclusion that they simply have no interest in true global community is almost inescapable.

Reply to this message

Canada: Home of UN

Contributor: cfallon

Date: 2003-03-14 14:35:27


But they never really did have any interest in the global community. It wasn't until 1942 that they become seriously active in world affairs. In fact, people still criticise them for that isolationist position.

What's so great about the global community?

Most countries on the planet are despotic, corrupt regimes and their citizens are deprived of their rights to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.

Why do we want to align ourselves with those regimes and form a community with them when we have no idea what their citizens think of this alliance?

Will you really take the World Court seriously when its Lybia's turn to appoint the chief justice? Do you think Lybians will have any say in that appointment - even indirectly?

Reply to this message

Canada: Home of UN

Contributor: fatmomma

Date: 2003-03-14 23:31:24


Is not Phillipe Kirsch of Canada the newly ELECTED chief justice of the International Criminal Court May 11, 2003. Not appointed by one country

Reply to this message

Canada: Home of UN

Contributor: fatmomma

Date: 2003-03-15 18:31:49


sorry MARCH 11 not May

Reply to this message

Canada: Home of UN

Contributor: codc01

Date: 2003-03-14 04:28:25


I also have doubts about the ICC, on the other hand creation of the ICC is morally justified.

There are problems though, the ICC is not even setup yet (the statute took effect in june 2002), and there are already 200 complaints!! The statute indicates that it only takes care of cases between june 2002 and later - have there been 200 genocides / war crimes between june 2002 and now??? We will see how the judges rules - i currently have good faith in the ICC, but this good faith is thin. Only time will tell.

Also, even though WWII was a long time ago and our standards have evolved since that time, today the Allies could be put under trial under the ICC, because they did bomb cities to demoralize the civilian population of Germany. I have no real opinion on this, I'm just saying the facts... and I'm just wondering... Is this good, is this bad? Probably today we have other ways of demoralizing the population without resorting to massive civilian bombing...

Reply to this message

Canada: Home of UN

Contributor: codc01

Date: 2003-03-14 13:08:33


Small 'errata' to my message, it seems the start date of the statute was july 2002 and not june 2002....

Reply to this message

Canada: Home of UN

Contributor: cfallon

Date: 2003-03-14 16:04:51


Banquo, I would be more comfortable with the so-called "peace" activists who declare this war immoral and Bush/Blair potential war criminals if those activists were making the same comments during the bombing of Serbia.

But we didn't hear anything like that, and certainly not in the same number. Why? I have no clue.

Reply to this message

Canada: Home of UN

Contributor: fatmomma

Date: 2003-03-15 02:03:21


I believe Mr Bush would be considered a war criminal already. The prisoners of war from Afghanistan or whatever he calls them are being held with no contact to lawyers or family.

Reply to this message