Hill Times columnist: Canada will lose from confrontation with Russia
Canada will have the opportunity to play a major role in foreign policy, if not change its position in relations with Russia in the Ukrainian conflict, according to the canadian newspaper journalist Zach Paikin.
"in the issue of relations with Moscow our (canadian - approx. Ed.) political leaders are either unwilling or don't have the ability to think strategically, find out the key desire of Canada and realize that the current geopolitical realities of the transient. Canada is vitally necessary to conduct a comprehensive discussion on this subject (relations of Russia and Canada - approx. Ed.) and to consider multiple points of view, " writes Zach Paikin.
review browser "in the coming decades of Russian-canadian relations will serve as a barometer of foreign policy" in Canada. For the West in General important relationship with Russia, based on mutual respect and trust, and as For Canada, they are vital. Ottawa as one of the Arctic countries together with Russia, is interested in cooperation, not in confrontation in the area. However, according to Zach Paikin, " as long as we (Canada - approx. Ed.) resolved dispute over the status of Crimea to poison our relations with Russia, we are not a serious country ".
"Russia is necessary to us as a partner when it comes to go about different global challenges - from conflict in the middle East and to climate change. Moreover, if the West will not be able to make peace with Russia on the Ukrainian question, our "cold peace" with Moscow could become a long-term irritant in geopolitical relations with China and the countries of the Middle East ", - reported in the publication.
on the background of the need to improve relations with Russia Canada should change position in the Ukrainian question. In the 1st turn, the canadian government must realize that Ukrainian society is extremely heterogeneous. Ottawa supports "Pro-Western" orientation of Ukraine, and thus, the "orange" part of politicians and citizens, reminds the journalist The Hill Times.
This is the "orange" movement has historical (and current) communications and fascism and suggests that Ukraine should be a unitary state with one language, recalls the journalist of the edition. However, in reality, 80% of Ukrainians say in Russian, and at the same time, the Ukrainian language is predominant only in the 1st of the ten largest cities in the country. Currently, the canadian government ignored the demands of the South-Eastern regions of Ukraine on federalism and bilingualism, and at the same time attending to the needs of this part of the Inhabitants "would be a great opportunity to find a common language with Moscow," says Zach Paikin.
in addition, canadian authorities should cease to raise its own profile in domestic politics at the expense of external. The majority of Canadians support a hard line in relations with Russia. At the same time the real purpose of politicians is obliged to become the strengthening of the role of Canada in world diplomacy, and not adherence to a fundamentally short-sighted strategic course in international politics, I'm sure the journalist The Hill Times.
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