/ world today news/ Canada will not be able to establish itself as a major player in international politics until it changes its position regarding the conflict in Ukraine, writes the Canadian weekly The Hill Times.
“When it comes to our relationship with Moscow, our political leaders are unable or unwilling to think strategically,” notes the article’s author Zach Paikin.
“We need Russia as a partner when it comes to various global political challenges, such as the Middle East, nuclear non-proliferation and climate change,” the publication wrote.
In addition, “if the West fails to come to an understanding with Russia over the conflict in Ukraine, our ‘cold peace’ with Moscow could act as an irritant in our geopolitical relations with China or the countries of the Middle East,” Paikin adds. According to him, in the coming decades, Russian-Canadian relations will serve as a barometer for Canadian foreign policy, and Canada, as one of the Arctic countries along with Russia, is interested in cooperation, not confrontation in the region. In this sense, Paikin notes, as long as Canada continues to allow disputes over the status of Crimea to poison its relations with Russia, it will not be a serious country.
“In other words, we use foreign policy to talk to ourselves, not to conduct international diplomacy. This farce has reached a remarkable level of absurdity: We condemn Russia and the Islamic State with unparalleled fervor and yet take almost no tangible action given our limited military capabilities,” writes Zach Paikin.
“Many Canadians want to see their country among the world leaders. We possess the means necessary to achieve this goal, but as long as we continue to act alone and conduct our foreign policy blindly, we will be miles from achieving it,” the author emphasizes.
#Canada #lose #confrontation #Russia
