Choosing Sides

My post yesterday on Canada’s refusal to provide a leadership contingent to the UN mission in Congo and the drastic fall in contributions (to the measly sum of 171 people) to UN missions got me thinking about the international system on a grander scale. In the latest issue of Foreign Policy there is an article by Richard Haass which discusses the idea of non-polarity in world politics. Rather than having the world split up into spheres of power as we’ve seen in the past or the notion of unipolarity as some may believe we are witnessing now, non-polarity describes a system which “involves several distinct poles or concentrations of power”. As he describes,

“In a multipolar system, no power dominates, or the system will become unipolar. Nor do concentrations of power revolve around two positions, or the system will become bipolar. Multipolar systems can be cooperative, even assuming the form of a concert of powers, in which a few major powers work together on setting the rules of the game and disciplining those who violate them”

In the system Haass details, the UN would finally fall from its defective dominance of world affairs and be replaced by a system of overlapping regional organizations. The basis for this proposed system already exists with the multitude of regional organizations that currently exist (NATO, EU, ASEAN, OAS AU) and that appear to be more functional that the current UN. This overlapping network of organizations would not be hampered by the ancient structure and bodies of the UN and would be more adaptive and responsive to current conditions in international affairs.

It appears that the Canadian government recognizes this proposed age of non-polarity and is aligning itself as such. Canada’s denial of the DPKO’s request for it to assume the lead of the mission in Congo is presumably the result of a greater commitment to success in Afghanistan. In other words, Canada is embracing its allegiance and commitment to NATO over the same ideals it has towards the UN. There are other examples of this too; the European Union has moved to strengthen its organization with the passing of its constitution and the African Union’s control of foreign assistance to the conflicts currently going on.

A move to a non-polar system could turn out to be a good thing for Canada. Our nation’s strength as a membership country is great in NATO than it is in the UN and as such we could have a greater role in shaping international policy. Canada would be in a stronger position to look out for its national interests in a smaller NATO than in the larger UN. I believe the phrase is that it is better to be a big fish in a small pond than a small fish in a big pond.

Whether or not this is the intent of the current Canadian government, our nation’s commitment to the United Nations, while long and storied (at least amongst its citizens) appears to be withering.

- blenCOWe