Why Canada Shouldn't Walk Out On Ahmadinejad

Today, I'm ashamed to be Canadian.

This evening, Canada will be walking out of the United Nations in protest of Ahmadinejad's address to the General Assembly. Their reasons: he is a Holocaust denier. It is a label that is given to the Iranian President fairly. He is also well-known for his consistent violation of the human rights of his own people and the torture and murder of at least one Canadian journalist.

It's hard, as a Jew, a Canadian and a person who believes in peace and security, not to react strongly and violently to the actions of Ahmadinejad.

But I also believe in the United Nations.

Perhaps it's naïve, but the United Nations was founded as a place of dialogue, of diplomacy at a time when the countries of Europe had just spent a lot of energy trying to obliterate one another. It was founded on notions of peace when the Holocaust was still very fresh. In order for the mandate of the UN to have any hope of effectiveness, the organization must promote open dialogue between sworn enemies and peaceful interactions between warring nations -- at least within the walls of their buildings with their member representatives.

Over the years, the United Nations' General Assembly has been addressed by some pretty horrible people. Yassar Arafat for one, and today, Robert Mugabe -- a leader who would rather murder his opposition and many of his own people than run in a fair and free election. Mugabe is known for the systematic extermination of rural communities in Zimbabwe.

But no one is up in arms about that.

The point is that the United Nations has a lot of experience with horrible people and those who represent them. Just as world history is full of abusive leaders, so is the history of the UN.

Still, the principles of communication and diplomacy cannot fall simply because one leader polarizes the North American public more than others.

If we bother to show up the UN at all, we must do it with a commitment to co-operation and, when co-operation is impossible, with open ears and eyes. We must be present, for all of it, or risk undoing the very process of international diplomacy that might make things a little better for the people of Iran and for the citizens of the world.

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Comments

[sociocanuck]

There might have been a few slight oversimplifications in there, but I do agree with the general conclusion.

Those who diminish the UN have missed the point that, just like politics, the effectiveness of the UN requires public support. Complaining about the UN's ineffectiveness is a self-fulfilling prophecy; whereas supporting when it produces positive results encourages more of the same.

Unfortunately, that requires that all nations involved respect what the UN represents. And walking out before Imadinnerjacket has spoken isn't respect. Doing so in protest of something said, however, at least respects the process.

I'm not sure the Canadian delegation has any better concept of 'living in the world' rather than 'with it' than does our current leader, based on his antics on every international stage he's given.

[HypocrisyStinks]

These childish walkouts remind me of the USSR delegates in the 80s that used to walk out of UN meetings when confronted with the truth. Pathetic!

[SFA]

And for every one read the interview Ahmdinejad gave to Washington Post.

How about some answers to the questions that he raised.

Noam Chomsky
"If the Nuremberg laws were applied, then every post-war American president would have been hanged."

[naan]

Harper is a Rotarian-type. With all the oil and gas Canada has, Harper should be throwing his weight around instead of falling in step behind 'yesterdays' leaders, the U.S. and the U.K..
If you extract offensive remarks about the Holocaust and his blind faith in the Deity, much of what Ahmadinejad went on about was true whether you like him or not. We're going to be hearing a lot more from oil-rich leaders like him and Gaddafi and it drives home the fact that the U.S. is no longer the 'main' player. They've even paid their back dues for God's sake. Russia and China rule. The Europeans know this. Why else did the Israeli Prime Minister run off to Russia to assure them they aren't about to hit Iran?

[dobberdoss]

WHAT makes Israel so rightious? Have they NEVER commited war crimes? YES,YES they have

[PDH5204]

(1) Dialogue takes two. Some are not there for dialogue and so what's the point of hanging around?

(2) Was the soul in question expected to say anything new? It isn't virtue to sit there and listen to things you've heard before, at least not when those things are both false and vile. There comes a point when you become enabler. Since if you weren't there, then there wouldn't be the platform for the one soul's propaganda.

And you wrote: "The point is that the United Nations has a lot of experience with horrible people and those who represent them. Just as world history is full of abusive leaders, so is the history of the UN."

Problem is, "full of" is not the same as "hostage of". As the late Chaim Herzog rather aptly noted way back in July 1976, the UN was then (and still is now) the hostage of despots and extremists. Last time I checked, the dialogue with the kidnapper ends with release of those held hostage and arrest and jail for the kidnapper. If that's what you had in mind, then by all means, let us stay and participate.

[neoprimordial]

Ahmadinejad keeps making these inflammatory statements that defame not just the millions of Jews lost in the Holocaust, but *everyone* who died in World War II fighting against the fascist evils of the Third Reich, and all those who survived those evils. He says the Holocaust didn't happen as it happened. Have him prove it. If he can't put up credible evidence to support his allegations, he needs to be made to account for his campaign promoting falsehoods and hateful speech about the Jewish people; by censure, sanctions, serious monetary penalties, and ultimately revocation of Iran's membership in the United Nations.

It is one thing to promote free speech and the exchange of ideas and conflicting opinions. It is another thing entirely to allow anyone, whether individual or nation, to champion hateful, false, and dangerous speech and then try to say that's acceptable under the principles upon which the United Nations was founded. It is not acceptable, and he deserves far worse than what's actually happened thus far. There is no acceptable place for ignorant, hate-laced falsehoods in the public discourse; not the United Nations, not the United States, not the Middle East, not anywhere. I respectfully disagree with you.

[Thelonius]

We can be certain that when he speaks, the Canadian delegation has been instructed by Harper to applaud Netanyahu, the leader of a country that has just been accused of carrying out "war crimes" and "crimes against humanity" against the 1.5 million defenseless caged Palestinians residing in the Gaza Strip (the world's largest prison) whose average age is 15.

[wethepeople3884]

How did this ignorant, bumbling puppet ever get into Iranian politics no less become their president at least legitimately one term. Its scary when i hear about how educated and filled with conviction the people of Iran are and then, you look at who they voted for and everything turns sour. This guy doesn't even deserve to talk to a nursery school class never mind the United Nations but I also believe in the UN and if this will actually lead to anything productive than everyone might as well stay in their seats. But since Ahmadinejad seems to be a pupper head for their fake democratic theocracy and has lost all backing of the only thing he had before which was the people's support, I fail to understand why what he has to say is relevant anyway. His Holocaust denier remarks have become old news already as ahmadinejad even went so far as to hold a holocaust denial conferance in which a bunch of neo-nazis and weirdo revisionists went to spout complete BS and pretend like what they were saying was at all important to anyone outside of that room.

[Philclock]

That makes one of us.

The UN is useful only in America's superpower shadow.

It is not something in which to believe, because no nation is willing to cede authority to it. As such, it is just another corrupt bureaucracy.

[wereeverywhere]

A possible grievance between Canada and IRI is the imprisonment of journalist Maziar Bahari. From

http://www.rsf.org/spip.php?page=article&id_article=34554

Reporters Without Borders is outraged that the Iranian judicial authorities are continuing to hold journalists employed by foreign news media including, Maziar Bahari, the correspondent of the US news magazine Newsweek, arrested exactly three months ago, and Fariba Pajooh, a stringer for Radio France Internationale and other media, who today begins her second month in detention. Bahari has dual Canadian and Iranian citizenship.

“The recent change at the head of the judicial system has not in any way modified repressive policies towards free expression,” Reporters Without Borders said. “The foreign media are still being targeted by the government and accused of spying. Physical and psychological pressure is being used to force their detained correspondents to make confessions.”

The press freedom organisation added: “Like all their colleagues, Maziar Bahari and Fariba Pajooh are innocent. They are still in prison solely because they are journalists.”

Iran has for years been the Middle East’s biggest prison for journalists.

[bosunj]

For the same reason you don't shout You lie!

[northstar11]

lets have a meeting

you talk ,i walk

i talk ,you walk,

then we'll issue a communique.

[Thelonius]

Harper's willingness to show disrespect for the UN by having Canada's delegates walk out on Ahmadinejad is not surprising. Throughout his political career and term as prime minister, Harper has consistently pandered to the pro-Israel lobby - to such an extent that it is viewed with alarm and distaste by the majority of Canadians, including, for obvious reasons, more and more Jewish Canadians. A careful study of his roots and basic beliefs reveals him to be an Islamaphobe with a particular dislike of Arabs, especially Palestinians. While he never misses an opportunity to kow tow to Israel, he has yet to meet with representatives of Canada's Arab community. In short, Harper is a 19th century "Christian" fundamentalist throwback with a twisted view of the Muslim world. Indeed, prior to becoming PM, he had never been anywhere outside of Canada. Thankfully, thus far, Canadians have denied him a majority. Never has a Canadian prime minister been so un-Canadian.

[northstar11]

his party hired ralph reid as advisor last election ---reid is well know american christian rightie gadfly.

[babeltek]

wow, I didn't know any of that...

[peterg76]

Walking out because of something he says is a protest. Walking out *before* he says anything is just a childish tantrum and disrepects Iran, the United Nations, and Canada. Harper is a disgrace.

[Spencaa]

This has been going on for ages. Iran killed a Canadian photojournalist back in 2003 and relations ahve been like this ever since. Canada and Iran always fight at the UN, more than the US who doesn't show up most of the time. Of course, it can all be traced back to the Canadian Caper.