Canada: A stuck nation with an uncertain future
As the multipolar world emerges all countries have hard choices to make. Colonized countries have dubious futures as they are “stuck” countries and “partners in colonial crime.”
We are Spartacus now. Are we? Spartacus is the resistance of ordinary people against a fascism that seldom speaks its name. The answer to this question – whether or not we are prepared to resist – is the most important of our age. -- John Pilger, British Journalist "In the preservation of independence there is no alternative to vigilance. In dependence is indivisible. You cannot have it intact here and in tatters there. It is as absolute as pregnancy. If a nation is not independent it is dependent, and other appellations fit equal well, satellite, fellow traveler, of lackey, as Churchill once called Mussolini." -- James M. Minifie, Canadian Journalist, Peacemaker or Powder Monkey
“For, in a democracy, every citizen, regardless of his interest in politics, 'holds office'; every one of us is in a position of responsibility; and, in the final analysis, the kind of government we get depends upon how we fulfill those responsibilities. We, the people, are the boss, and we will get the kind of political leadership, be it good or bad, that we demand and deserve.”
― John F. Kennedy
We live in times where the world is going through immense change as it transitions, to a new and more just world order. The birthing of the new multipolar world is made difficult by retrograde forces clinging to delusions coveted for too long, at too high a price, built on the faulty foundations of tyrannical ideologies, endless violence and bloodshed.
War is many things including revelation and we must respond to revelations as they change and reshape the realities we live by and our futures. How we respond takes the measure of us as individuals, societies and nation states. As Kennedy states we all “ hold office”.
Where the world is under going massive change nations can be classified: stuck or free .
Stuck nations are those stuck in the past, immobilized by corruption, ruinous ideologies, political paralysis and delusional ambitions. Stuck nations are also those colonized. They live another’s existence frozen in time having the pretensions and trappings of nationhood while suffering a self-loathing parasiticized existence.
As the world stands now there are only two nations that can claim true sovereignty and being free: Russia and China . But of course in a complex world becoming more and more integrated and change sovereignty is shifting and often elusive.
The sovereignty of these two nations goes to the heart of the matter as the prevailing rogue superpower wants to subjugate them, even at the expense of endless war and the threatening risk of nuclear war. Like it or not they have a right to self-determination as does every country where they choose to assert it. Some countries are content to be stuck and pay the price accordingly.
Canada blindly follows Washington’s lead in supporting Israel for all the wrong reasons, putting us on the wrong side of history.
As the new world order comes into being once colonized nations are rushing to adopt the new multipolar world order as escapees from tyrannical imperialism that impoverished them with poor future prospects.
Canada has parked its sovereignty in Washington and is no longer a free agent and becomes a mimic of the empire.
Canadians are deeply frustrated with the poor performance and persistent in competence of our federal government, but this is the atrophy colonized countries suffer. Democracy and sovereignty are muscles that have to be regularly used to have the right tone.
Canada has never been able to establish a middle way with our southern neighbor where a true friendship based on mutual-respect is established. Canadian elites over many decades opted for the role of lackey rather than Minifie’s “fellow traveler”
To put it simply our elites jumped into bed with the elephant when they should have insisted on twin beds.
As the world is unfolding now Canada has three options. The first is continue its colonial status with all the gradual decline and fragmentation that goes with it. It could go into a formal union with USA as some have suggested. Thirdly it could cast off its colonial status, become a non-aligned country and embrace the multipolar world and its advantages.
This discussion is nothing new. As early as 1965 Canadian philosopher George Grant wrote his very prescient book Lament for a Nation where he predicted Canada was headed for colonization which is now replete. What Grant did not fore see is the arrival of neoliberalism would dramatically accelerate assimilation.
Historian, the late Michael Bliss, and Journalist Diane Francis both advocate formal union, while the moribund nationalist movement see colonization as betrayal.
As we see below we are accused of being partners in colonial crime, not of actual intent but only because we are the obedient servant of the empire. Internationally we are identified as a satellite of the empire and our loss of status internationally is commensurate. Where we are so pretentious to see a ourselves as sovereign, other nations see the truth, where we are the jack in the box for America’s wars, vote solidly with the US in the UN, and act occasionally as a branch plant imperialist for the empire.
Canada is so strongly wedded to the US, its options may well be foreclosed. Even the middle way is not attainable without a major resurgence of national pride and desire for true freedom, and the respect in the international community we once had.
As the multipolar world emerges all countries have hard choices to make. Colonized countries have dubious futures as they are “stuck” countries and “partners in colonial crime.”
Stuck colonial countries are prime candidates for ending up on the wrong side of history.
Fifty years from now historians will look back on our times as a dark age.
The emerging multipolar world is definitive change in an ever changing world. All nations must assess their role in it and their willingness and ability to pursue progressive change to their own benefit while making positive contributions to the world community.
At a time in history where solidarity among nations of the world has never been more important for planetary survival there must be a commitment to work together in a harmonious peaceful co-existence where reciprocity prevails.
The history of the planet shows us time and again mass extinctions are regular cycles. Yet we are indifferent to the distinct possibility of our own, perpetual war, hate and violence will insure it.
Start by weaning away from the Yankee bosom...