Where the heck have I been?
More importantly, Canada needs to stand with Taiwan - a guest post.
Stranded behind lines
I won't say “enemy lines” because that would be silly, and ‘stranded’ is pushing it, but I'm stuck for the moment in the far reaches of the Occupied Columbia Territory, a term with which assiduously attentive Real Story subscribers will be familiar.
For personal and historical background and for more recent subscribers, see the Real Story newsletters of May 19 and August 6 2024. The term involves my unrepentent irredentism, red in tooth and claw.
Normally I'd link to those posts but I'm composing this no-paywall edition on a Samsung phone. I’ve never done this before and it is no easy thing to do.
The thing is, in planning one of my routine backcountry excursions with my daughter Zoe, another southward reconnaisance mission became suitable to our purposes owing to Zoe’s American residency circumstances. Her status is perfectly legal and above board but just the tiniest bit complicated just now, raising the remote chance of a rigmarole in readmission from Canada. So Americaland it was to be.
We're not among that cohort of Canadians who fear a US border officer’s discovery of an unflattering reference to Mad King Donald in an email would run the risk of Zoe’s incarceration in Guantanamo upon her re-entry to the States. We're just averse to complications.
Speaking of which: securing and installing exotic replacement parts for a rebuilt 2.3 litre 1987 Westfalia engine that went wonky, on the Memorial Day weekend, just outside a small town on the Oregon Coast, proved to be a complication. It occurred just as I was heading back north. That's where “stranded” comes into it. Poor me, right?
For now I'll just say each of the many mechanics and auto parts guys I've enjoined in the effort to become unstranded has been generous and kind and tremendously gracious. As small town Americans always seem to be.
(A big thank you here to O'Reilly's Auto Parts in Newport.)
I'll have to miss the amazing Jamie Kirchick (look him up, buy his books), who's passing through my neck of the woods north of the 49th. He'd hoped to pop by for a visit. I regret having to miss him.
Other than that, all is well. I'm playing hooky. On the Oregon coast. And my pal the artist and filmmaker Andrew Struthers (sorry no link) is heading back north to Canada from California, and we've arranged a rendezvous. By an amusing coincidence, Andrew is also temporarily stranded by Memorial Day weekend engine parts unavailability, in Eureka.
But enough about me.
Not wanting to leave Real Story subscribers with nothing this weekend, what follows is a guest post by Irfan Yar.
Irfan ia a security analyst, a Norman Paterson School grad and a fine fellow. He has a very good idea about something Canada might do that would go some distance in addressing the incoherence and disorientation of Canada’s foreign policy. It's a simple proposition that deserves all-party support.
Irfan’s the founder of the Afghan Security Institute, although lately his focus has been on security issues in Southeast Asia and the Indo-Pacific region. He's worked for several UN agencies, and he’s worked with the Macdonald-Laurier Institute and the Global Counterterrorism Inititative.
This is Irfan’s idea. I like it. Hear him out:
Canada should stand up for Taiwan
By Irfan Yar
In all my years of working within international organizations and the humanitarian sectors, one truth stands clear: global cooperation is essential to solving the world’s most pressing challenges. Yet Taiwan’s exclusion from the United Nations and the UN’s specialized agencies continues to hinder efforts to address critical global issues.
This is so, despite Taiwan’s significant contributions to global health, development, food security, and humanitarian aid.
Taiwan’s exclusion is not just detrimental to Taiwan. It’s a missed opportunity for the world, especially in tackling cross-border crises such as pandemics, climate change, and food insecurity.
Taiwan has long been a global leader in humanitarian efforts. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Taiwan sent millions of masks and medical supplies to over 80 countries, proving its commitment to global health.
Additionally, Taiwan’s nutritious school lunch program, in place since 1982, is a model for improving child nutrition worldwide, contributing to global food security.
Taiwan also plays a vital role in disaster relief. Initiatives like the People’s Food Bank Association, which distributes over 200 metric tons of food annually, addresses hunger on a global scale.
These efforts highlight Taiwan’s capacity to support global humanitarian systems, making its exclusion from the UN not just unjust, but counterproductive in the fight against hunger, health crises, and poverty.
Although not a member of the UN or its agencies like the World Food Programme (WFP), Taiwan’s contributions align with the core missions of these organizations. As the WFP faces escalating global hunger due to conflicts, climate change, and economic instability, Taiwan’s food security innovations support the UN’s goal to eradicate hunger and improve nutrition for vulnerable populations.
Taiwan’s expertise in healthcare—demonstrated through its effective pandemic response and public health programs—mirrors the World Health Organization's mission to improve global health.
Taiwan’s inclusion would enhance the ability of UN agencies to address multifaceted crises, from food insecurity to health emergencies.
Canada has long been a strong advocate for multilateralism and global cooperation. By supporting Taiwan’s inclusion in the UN, Canada can help strengthen the international system and reinforce its commitment to addressing global challenges. Taiwan’s expertise in humanitarian aid, healthcare, and food security aligns with Canada’s foreign policy goals and would bolster the UN’s ability to tackle global crises.
However, Canada faces significant pressure from China, which opposes Taiwan’s participation in international organizations. This pressure creates a complex diplomatic situation, but it’s important to recognize that Canada can still advocate for Taiwan’s inclusion while carefully navigating these diplomatic waters.
Canada has always made at least some effort to balance its international interests while standing firm on issues of human rights, democracy, and global cooperation. Canada should make a special effort, now, in support of Taiwan.
Moreover, Taiwan’s leadership in technology and green energy offers Canada an opportunity to diversify supply chains, especially as tensions between Canada and the U.S. continue to rise. Taiwan’s inclusion would also help build a more resilient, inclusive global community.
Canada has the moral responsibility to champion Taiwan’s inclusion in the UN. If the United States is unwilling to lead on this issue, Canada should step forward to ensure Taiwan is recognized for its vital contributions to humanitarian relief, food security, and global health.
By supporting Taiwan, Canada can uphold the rules-based international order and enhance the global response to crises affecting us all.
Taiwan’s exclusion from the UN undermines global cooperation in areas where its contributions are indispensable. The Word Food Programme, the World Health Organizations and other UN agencies need Taiwan’s expertise to address global hunger, health crises, and disasters.
Taiwan’s inclusion would strengthen global humanitarian systems and improve efforts to solve interconnected global problems.
It is time for the UN to recognize Taiwan’s invaluable contributions to the global good.
As a Canadian, I believe Canada should lead the way in advocating for Taiwan’s rightful place in the UN.
This isn’t just about Taiwan—it’s about ensuring that all capable nations, regardless of political disputes, have the opportunity to contribute to the betterment of the world.
Canada can make this a reality by supporting Taiwan’s inclusion and strengthening global cooperation for future generations. By supporting Taiwan’s aspiration for UN membership, Canada can help usher in a more inclusive and collaborative international system—one that recognizes the contributions of all nations, regardless of their political status. In doing so, Canada would take a bold stance in favor of multilateralism, while also ensuring Taiwan’s invaluable expertise can contribute to the global good.
This would put Canada on a clear course for all to see.
Perhaps another clear policy on the absolute right of Israel to live with freedom from attacks from any group or country, just as every other country. 🇨🇦 🇮🇱
Thanks for sharing this view. I have also been screaming, with growing alarm, to anyone who will listen to me, about Taiwan’s precarious situation and Canada’s insufficient advocacy for the way’s Taiwan could demonstrate its sovereignty, for almost a decade.
Canada occupies a unique position in the politics of international law, because it never recognized, much less endorsed, the One China policy that seeks to extinguish a distinct Taiwanese existence, but merely “noted” the PRC position when Taiwan lost its seat in the UN General Assembly under UNSC Res. 2758.
My question to Irfan is: what about the CPTPP? The “Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Tran-Pacific Partnership”?
When Trump took the Oval Office in 2017, the next-generation trade deal that was to solidify the most palpable expression of multilateralism there is - commerce, fell out of the realm of the possible. The US dropped out. It was replaced by a new initiative - the CPTPP. Same deal. Same language. Same hope to strengthen the sinews of peace by binding Asian and other countries together through trade. Absent from the table was the US.
The criteria for eligibility for CPTPP accession was made high - it was to be a “new” kind of trade deal, protecting wages, environment etc. Canada, the UK, Australia, and Japan advanced it.
But when an obvious candidate for accession Taiwan readied its application in September 2021, PRC jumped in front - PRC, with no serious chance of meeting the tough admission standards , applied one week before Taiwan’s application was received. This “timing problem” is has been claimed, made for a tricky situation for Western countries who fear pissing off PRC more than they are willing to be brave and do the right thing by admitting Taiwan.
To my knowledge (and I could be wrong and I have not looked recently) that is where it still stands. Neither Taiwan, with its mostly compliant application, nor, PRC, with its tactical shenanigans to thwart Taiwan’s ambition to join the world, have been accepted into CPTPP. And so it sits (I believe).
But here’s the punch-line, and the reason Irfan’s proposal to extend a hand to Taiwan is simply hypothetical until there is a change of government in Ottawa that takes the Taiwan issue seriously. For all of 2024, the chair of the CPTPP, and country in charge of accession processes, was Canada. Nothing happened. We twiddled our diplomatic thumbs, and stared at the ceiling. We did what Canadian diplomats and pro-China Liberal governments do so well when faced with stark choices with moral components and a potential economic cost - we dithered.
I fear that Canada will never take a lead position on the question of Taiwan. If we cannot ink a trade deal that is such an obvious expression of the blessed “rules based international order” what hope is there of Canada taking a stern position in Irfan’s multilateral fora, contra China and pro-Taiwan? Both would inevitably stir consequences. We could not act when we actually held the levers of decision under CPTPP - what hope for more complicated undertakings to protect Taiwan?