When Chrystia Freeland was Foreign Secretary, one of her favorite books was a recent essay by American political scientist Robert Kagan, titled The Jungle Grows Back.
The jungle grows back …
An excellent metaphor to describe the current state of the world and international relations.
A world whose gendarme – the United States – is only a shadow of itself.
A world where rivalry between nations and the law of the strongest often take precedence over multilateralism.
A world where the attacks on democracies – from the outside, but also from the inside – weaken them more and more. And where their opponents continue to sharpen their knives …
This world is the one in which Mélanie Joly will try to get out of the game.
Welcome to the jungle, Minister!
Several before you have come up against a wall. A bit like in the Quebec government advertisement on the vaccine passport.
So much so that we are witnessing the phenomenon of revolving doors at the Department of Foreign Affairs, which is terribly embarrassing both for those who occupy it and for Prime Minister Trudeau, whose record on the international scene is unsatisfactory.
Outgoing minister Marc Garneau did not live up to expectations.
His predecessor, François-Philippe Champagne, scrambled with the energy of desperation to secure a seat on the UN Security Council, but he started too late. He was humiliated by the failure of the process.
Stéphane Dion had started to reflect on the nature of our foreign policy in this chaotic world, but he was quickly replaced by Chrystia Freeland after the arrival of Donald Trump at the White House.
Chrystia Freeland, for her part, wanted to defend tooth and nail for the “rules-based international order”, but she essentially, during her (short) tenure, tried to save the North American Free Trade Agreement. .
So yes, Mélanie Joly just got a great promotion.
Yes, she now has a prestigious position. Some of her predecessors – beginning with Lester B. Pearson, whom she quoted after taking the oath – helped Canada grow its influence and relevance in the world.
But she also has a job that is like trying to fly a helicopter in the middle of the jungle.
With a device, let’s say it, which urgently needs to be renovated.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs should be reformed. It is no longer recognized as an incubator for reflection and innovation, to say the least.
One of the minister’s strengths is that she will have Justin Trudeau’s ear. It should boost its credibility and its ability to influence abroad.
It remains to be seen, however, how far the Prime Minister’s Office will give him free rein.
It will need some leeway if it is to make the necessary changes. It should also be well advised.
Mélanie Joly would, moreover, have every advantage in rapidly updating our foreign policy.
Many experts are rightly calling for a big reflection on this subject, which could lead to a new white paper.
That would allow Canada to redefine its place in the world and its objectives, but it would also give the new minister the chance to benefit from enlightened opinions on this subject.
One thing is certain, at the very least, we need a strategy for the Indo-Pacific region, which would allow us in particular to adjust our violins as regards the attitude to adopt towards China.
Some people wonder if our lack of firmness vis-à-vis Beijing is not the source of the fact that we were neither involved nor consulted during the development of a new security alliance by the United States. , Australia and the United Kingdom (AUKUS).
Yep, in today’s jungle even the loyalty of your traditional allies is crumbling more than ever before!
Mélanie Joly said on Tuesday that her approach would combine humility and daring. In this jungle, he will also need a lot of courage, poise and insight.
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