A new (apparently Web-only) "Maclean's" analysis feature...
(See also, most recently, Wednesday's batch of stories.)
Not since 1998, when Italian diplomat Giorgio Copello called Canada a "pig country" (among other complaints), has Ottawa turfed a foreign envoy. It was noteworthy, then, when it was announced earlier this week that an official from the Embassy of Sudan would be expelled effective [on] September 1.
The move came in retaliation for the African country's earlier decision to bounce Canada's top envoy there, Nuala Lawlor, after she was accused of "meddling" in Sudanese affairs - apparently by raising concerns over jailed opposition leaders. She was one of three foreign diplomats [sic] ordered out for similar infractions within a four-day period, the others being European Union envoy Kent Degerfelt and American Paul Parker, regional director of humanitarian group CARE.
Degerfelt was eventually allowed to stay, after the EU apologized. In stark contrast, Canada jumped to Lawlor's defence with a strong condemnation of Sudan's actions.
"Canada considers the expulsion of our chargé d'affaires to be entirely unjustified. Wherever they are posted, Canada's diplomats will continue to work to uphold Canadian values of freedom, democracy, human rights, and the rule of law," Foreign Affairs Minister Maxime Bernier said in a statement.
What to make of Canada's unflinching stance?
Expelling a foreign envoy is "a very standard way of expressing, within the framework of diplomatic formalities, your displeasure with another government," Allen Sens, a political scientist at the University of British Columbia, tells Macleans.ca. "Because Canada does not have as many diplomatic clashes as some countries do, it’s not something that is done with great frequency." But, he says, "it does happen."
It's not as if Canada is burning bridges with a popular government. Sudan has few friends within the international community, with China a notable exception. Indeed, the government has struggled to fend off international criticism on a number of issues, especially its handling of (and alleged involvement in) the crisis in the Darfur region, which has left at least 200,000 people dead and about 2.5 million displaced in over three years of fighting.
In fact, some analysts see Sudan's expulsion of Lawlor as laden with ulterior motives, including the intention to distract from Darfur. Most recently, Amnesty International released photographs [that] it claims prove [that] the government has been deploying military equipment to the region, despite a United Nations arms embargo - a charge [that] the government vehemently denies.
"The Sudanese government doesn’t place a lot of emphasis on maintaining positive relationships with countries that it knows it’s not going to get a lot of hearing with," Sens says. "[Canada has] been quite vocal in regard [to Darfur], and I think [that] the Sudanese government looks at that, and makes the judgement that the benefits of a positive relationship [with Canada] are not worth it."
Ottawa has committed about [Can]$441 million to Sudan since 2004, making it the fourth-largest donor. Canadian aid dollars also flow into Sudan through international bodies like the UN and non-governmental groups active there. While bilateral aid to the government itself has already been cut off, Sens says [that] it's unlikely Canada would stop aid completely.
"Cutting off aid money punishes the most helpless," he says. "The Canadian government generally tries to avoid this."
So what does the unusual decision to boot the Sudanese envoy say about the Stephen Harper government?
"This fits into a more-vocal foreign policy with respect to expressing Canadian displeasure on certain issues," Sens says, pointing to Harper's complaints about human-rights abuses in China. The Prime Minister was criticized for not taking a similarly harsh stance on a more recent visit with Colombia's controversial president, Alvaro Uribe. But Ottawa's decision to stand up to Sudan seems to be almost universally popular, earning acclaim from editorial pages, members of Canada's Sudanese community, and even rare praise from Liberal leader Stéphane Dion.
As for how Sudan and Canada might ultimately resolve their diplomatic spat, these situations typically involve a period of posturing on both sides and then a gradual mending of fences, Sens explains, after which normal diplomatic relations are re-established. It's not yet clear what might lead to such a development, however.
"In this case, there aren't a lot of customary relations with respect to trade, or cooperation in multilateral organizations, between Canada and the Sudan that [will] really be interrupted," Sens notes. "There’s not a whole lot to talk about, except issues related to the southern Sudan and, of course, Darfur."
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