From ‘Elbows Up’ to Capitulation and Back | The Tyee
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It was a moment of global clarity. Prime Minister Mark Carney’s speech to the world’s political and economic elite gathered in Davos this week described global realities, past and present, with a candour and nuance rarely heard from a serving politician.
The message was twofold.
First, Carney made clear that the world has changed, and the old comfortable ways of global politics are not coming back. Those who wait for sanity to return are waiting in vain. We are in a world increasingly shaped by the threat and the use of hard power. All states must accept that reality.
Despite this, Carney’s second and more hopeful message was that while the globally powerful may act unilaterally, others — notably “middle powers” like Canada — are not helpless.
By finding ways to co-operate on areas of shared interest, states like Canada can pool their limited resources to build what amounts to a flexible network of co-operative ties. Taken together they can provide an alternative to simply rolling over and taking whatever great powers like the United States dole out.
I moved from Lebanon 8 years ago with my Canadian wife, and I was happy to leave that unstable region with the worst neighbours. Alas, I’m fated to live next to terrible neighbours again. I hope Canada will strengthen the relations with the rest of the world, and never turn to the US again. And as an anti-capitalist and anti-facist, I hope Canada does not become like the US.
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I moved from Lebanon 8 years ago with my Canadian wife, and I was happy to leave that unstable region with the worst neighbours. Alas, I’m fated to live next to terrible neighbours again. I hope Canada will strengthen the relations with the rest of the world, and never turn to the US again. And as an anti-capitalist and anti-facist, I hope Canada does not become like the US.
Ah, so you brought it with you!
/s
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The key part comes from what Carney said about living in the lie: we can’t just give lip service to those principles, like we did before.
I honestly have no idea what that would look like. Should we have put boots on the ground in Ukraine? What about the CCP’s oppression of Uyghurs? Okay, now climate change?
Maybe the answer is that we be less principled, but honest about where we’re willing to act.
Maybe the answer is that we be less principled, but honest about where we’re willing to act.
This. He said that in unambiguous terms that being able to act on principle is a right won on the back of having eliminated your vulnerability to coercion.
That means a country that wants to act in principled manner must be able to produce what it needs to survive and defend itself. Otherwise demanding country X do Y when you depend on X for your survival is just propaganda theatre produced for whoever it placates. We’re very far from that, so we’re likely dropping the theatre.
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I think we aren’t as powerless as you think and that we have both done something that seems small but is a step in the direction of freedom from those corporations. We have joined a platform not owned by them. We have freedom to choose and make our thoughts heard still. So elbows up into the jaw of cynicism.
Us here, yes. That said parent’s talking about what Carney might do to achieve the vision of regaining sovereignty and that’s one likely future given similar historical conditions. If that’s where it goes, we’d have to do a lot more to resist getting crushed by the corporate machine than we’re doing today. There’s historical templates for that too so there’s reason for optimism. E.g. radical unionism.
I share your optimism though. I also think that barring invasion, we’ll be alright and possibly have decent future. At least until climate change destabilizes the world.
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I moved from Lebanon 8 years ago with my Canadian wife, and I was happy to leave that unstable region with the worst neighbours. Alas, I’m fated to live next to terrible neighbours again. I hope Canada will strengthen the relations with the rest of the world, and never turn to the US again. And as an anti-capitalist and anti-facist, I hope Canada does not become like the US.
In some ways, you lived next to the US then, and you live next to the US now.
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I think we aren’t as powerless as you think and that we have both done something that seems small but is a step in the direction of freedom from those corporations. We have joined a platform not owned by them. We have freedom to choose and make our thoughts heard still. So elbows up into the jaw of cynicism.
but is a step in the direction of freedom from those corporations.
The Liberal party introduced Bill C-15 which literally allows any corporation to be exempted from any law.
They know who they want to rule us.
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In some ways, you lived next to the US then, and you live next to the US now.
True. There’s no escape from those fuckers.
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Heheh sorry guys i jinxed everyone.
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I moved from Lebanon 8 years ago with my Canadian wife, and I was happy to leave that unstable region with the worst neighbours. Alas, I’m fated to live next to terrible neighbours again. I hope Canada will strengthen the relations with the rest of the world, and never turn to the US again. And as an anti-capitalist and anti-facist, I hope Canada does not become like the US.
Every Lebanese person I’ve ever met has been rad AF. Please explain.
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Maybe the answer is that we be less principled, but honest about where we’re willing to act.
This. He said that in unambiguous terms that being able to act on principle is a right won on the back of having eliminated your vulnerability to coercion.
That means a country that wants to act in principled manner must be able to produce what it needs to survive and defend itself. Otherwise demanding country X do Y when you depend on X for your survival is just propaganda theatre produced for whoever it placates. We’re very far from that, so we’re likely dropping the theatre.
In theory we have a principled stance on Ukraine, Gaza, Afghanistan, and whatever is going down in Myanmar. We don’t depend on those countries, but I would be very surprised if we change our verbiage or actions toward those countries.
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Every Lebanese person I’ve ever met has been rad AF. Please explain.
Explain what exactly?
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It was a moment of global clarity. Prime Minister Mark Carney’s speech to the world’s political and economic elite gathered in Davos this week described global realities, past and present, with a candour and nuance rarely heard from a serving politician.
The message was twofold.
First, Carney made clear that the world has changed, and the old comfortable ways of global politics are not coming back. Those who wait for sanity to return are waiting in vain. We are in a world increasingly shaped by the threat and the use of hard power. All states must accept that reality.
Despite this, Carney’s second and more hopeful message was that while the globally powerful may act unilaterally, others — notably “middle powers” like Canada — are not helpless.
By finding ways to co-operate on areas of shared interest, states like Canada can pool their limited resources to build what amounts to a flexible network of co-operative ties. Taken together they can provide an alternative to simply rolling over and taking whatever great powers like the United States dole out.
Do people not get that he needs to play nice with Trump? Like what do you want him to say to the guy? “Go fuck yourself!”?
Maybe if we had a similarly sized military….
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In theory we have a principled stance on Ukraine, Gaza, Afghanistan, and whatever is going down in Myanmar. We don’t depend on those countries, but I would be very surprised if we change our verbiage or actions toward those countries.
I think it’s gonna be case by case basis depending on the expected blowback.
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Explain what exactly?
Why you’re all rad, I presume
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True. There’s no escape from those fuckers.
The sun never sets on the shithead empire
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Do people not get that he needs to play nice with Trump? Like what do you want him to say to the guy? “Go fuck yourself!”?
Maybe if we had a similarly sized military….
What a waste of money that would be. Canada’s military is appropriately sized. The US has the massive insecurity complex. Russia isn’t really a threat. China Is.
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but is a step in the direction of freedom from those corporations.
The Liberal party introduced Bill C-15 which literally allows any corporation to be exempted from any law.
They know who they want to rule us.
90%+ of every policy in every country in the world is written at the request of corporations.
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Why you’re all rad, I presume
I was born that way, what else can I say
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What a waste of money that would be. Canada’s military is appropriately sized. The US has the massive insecurity complex. Russia isn’t really a threat. China Is.
I’m not saying we should have a similarly sized military. I’m saying it’s a bad idea to tell your neighbour tyrant directly to fuck off when he’s on a rampage, and that if our military was comparable then maybe you could expect him to say that.
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It was a moment of global clarity. Prime Minister Mark Carney’s speech to the world’s political and economic elite gathered in Davos this week described global realities, past and present, with a candour and nuance rarely heard from a serving politician.
The message was twofold.
First, Carney made clear that the world has changed, and the old comfortable ways of global politics are not coming back. Those who wait for sanity to return are waiting in vain. We are in a world increasingly shaped by the threat and the use of hard power. All states must accept that reality.
Despite this, Carney’s second and more hopeful message was that while the globally powerful may act unilaterally, others — notably “middle powers” like Canada — are not helpless.
By finding ways to co-operate on areas of shared interest, states like Canada can pool their limited resources to build what amounts to a flexible network of co-operative ties. Taken together they can provide an alternative to simply rolling over and taking whatever great powers like the United States dole out.
There was no capitulation. The take is just stupid and naive.
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