Diplomacy, Defence and Development are the 3D’s of Canada’s new foreign policy announced by the Prime Minister last year. These, together with Commerce, are the cornerstones of the strategy designed to enhance our position in the world.
The Responsibility to Protect, which has been a Canadian initiative from the outset, is the most far-reaching agreement on the prevention of mass killing since the UN Genocide Convention was established in 1948. It seeks to ensure that the protection of civilians takes precedence over national sovereignty. It is one of the most important outcomes of the World Summit held at the United Nations last September.
But will these new initiatives help prevent another Rwanda? According to UN Secretary General, Kofi Annan, large-scale attacks against civilians continue in Dafur in Western Sudan. “Women and girls are being raped by armed groups, yet more villages are being burned, and thousands more are being driven from their homes”, he said in December.
And in Afghanistan, with Canada’s military presence on the increase, are there clear and achievable political and military objectives? Is there an exit strategy?
Speaker: Lieutenant-General Romeo Dallaire Gen. Dallaire joined the Canadian Army in 1964. After graduating with a B.Sc. from the Royal Military College, Kingston, Ontario, he held various command, staff and training appointments in Canada and Germany. In 1993, he took command of the United Nations Observer Mission – Uganda and Rwanda and later, the United Nations Assistance Mission for Rwanda. He was awarded the Meritorious Service Cross for this mission. On his return from Rwanda, he served as commander of the 1st Canadian Division and Deputy Commander of the Canadian Army. Promoted to three-star general, he was appointed to various senior positions including Assistant Deputy Minister (Human Resources – Military) in the Ministry of Defence. Gen. Dallaire retired from the Canadian Armed Forces in April 2000. He serves as a special adviser to the Canadian government on war-affected children and the prohibition of small-arms distribution. He is currently a Fellow at the Carr Center for Human Rights Policy, Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University. Gen. Dallaire was awarded the Order of Canada in 2002. His internationally acclaimed book “Shake Hands With the Devil – The Failure of Humanity in Rwanda” won the Governor General’s Literary Award for Non-Fiction in 2004. Gen. Dallaire sits in the Senate as a member of the Liberal Party of Canada.
THIS SPECIAL SESSION HAS BEEN ORGANIZED IN ASSOCIATION WITH LETHBRIDGE UNITED SERVICES INSTITUTE