Leaders in NATO countries are guilty of crimes against humanity, yet only Africans are tried
In recent months, words like genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes have been used extensively in the media. These are important legal terms, and they shouldn’t be used loosely. Using them as political weapons risks making them meaningless. The word ‘genocide’ was coined in 1944 by Polish-Jewish law professor Raphael Lemkin after he studied…
How is the Russian invasion of Ukraine different from the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq?
American writer and philosopher Ralph Waldo Emerson said, “Fiction reveals the truth that reality obscures.” I admit I’ve never been a great fan of fiction; I prefer writing that spells out the author’s perspective on what’s actually happening in the world. But there are times when nothing speaks the truth more effectively than a great…
The leaders of the so-called “Free World” are in an ineffectual muddle
The predictable invasion of Ukraine by Russian dictator Vladimir Putin has put the outgunned Ukrainian forces in a very difficult situation. The leaders of the so-called “Free World” are in an ineffectual muddle. Surprisingly, Germany is finally making solid moves to shore up its military and become a NATO leader. Germany, a NATO financial delinquent,…
The victims’ families deserve justice, and the people of both Canada and Iran deserve the truth
On January 8, 2020, the Islamic Republic of Iran shot down Ukrainian flight PS752, causing the death of 176 people, including 138 Canadian citizens, permanent residents, and others with close ties to Canada. While Tehran called the downing a mistake, a recent report from the Association of Families of Flight PS752 Victims identifies several key…
Contrary to what the New York Times and AP claim, these children are not “highly motivated young recruits"
By Ann Fitz-Gerald and Hugh Segal Macdonald-Laurier Institute When the recent conflict in Ethiopia’s Tigray region first flared in November 2020, with an unprovoked violent attack by the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) on federal forces, the Western media and many aid donors chose their side early on – and it was not Prime Minister…
The War Crimes Section has not had a budget increase in over 20 years
By Sarah Teich and Maria Reisdorf Macdonald-Laurier Institute Canadian Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland recently delivered the country’s first federal budget in two years. As Canadians spend the coming days and weeks analyzing the country’s economic recovery plan, one department that merits particular attention is the Department of Justice’s War Crimes Section. The War Crimes Section…
When words that demean others are spoken with impunity, they lead to further infringements on our dignity and rights
The greatest danger to our way of life is the culture of impunity we’ve created. It’s an assault on truth and human dignity. This became very clear in a discourse between two members of the American House of Representatives. Ted Yoho verbally accosted and demeaned Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez for expressing her views on controversial issues and…
True power doesn’t rest with the violent, it lies with those of integrity and courage
Canadian Gen. Romeo Dallaire stated, “At its heart, the Rwandan story is the failure of humanity to heed a call for help from an endangered people.” It would be nice to believe that the world learned its lesson in Rwanda, where nearly one million people were slaughtered in roughly 90 days as the world stood…
Canada needs to speak up for peace and stability before the situation escalates into a wider conflict
The recent U.S. air strikes in Syria show that a grave risk of wider war, including nuclear war, is upon us. Canada's government, and indeed everyone, should do whatever possible to avoid such a calamity. The federal government should not support any military action in Syria. The recent armed attacks, although fortunately limited in scale,…
None of Khadr's conspiracy allegations were proven in court, of course, because the Trudeau government sidestepped the public process and defied the rule of law
The federal government has shown a gross lack of common sense in settling with Omar Khadr. According to a recent poll, a whopping 71 per cent of Canadians believe the Liberal government did “the wrong thing” in skipping the court process and awarding Khadr a $10.5-million settlement and an apology for violating his human rights…