Lloyd Axworthy warns of complacency, apathy

Sylvain Comeau

Former Foreign Affairs Minister Lloyd Axworthy is both an optimist and a tough-minded realist.

In a wide-ranging lecture at Concordia last Thursday, he discussed the threats emerging from the era of globalism, but also pointed the way to solutions beyond conflict and war.

“Since September 11, we have learned that we are all potential victims of the dark side of globalism. That is the reality of today’s world.”
Axworthy, now president of the University of Winnipeg, said that the nebulous, unpredictable nature of terrorism means that the current war on terrorism may in fact be feeding into it rather than defeating it, as governments involved in the war lash out and inspire more opposition.

“We are not stopping terrorism through the exercise of overwhelming military force; we are festering it.

“To fight terrorism, you must drain the swamp in which it thrives. There are alternatives to fighting terrorism with force, and I deeply believe Canadians can make a difference and find them. The problem is that the United States, with its tremendous power and reach, is increasingly acting like it’s above the law.”

He also fears complacency is setting in for a public weary of looking over its shoulder and waiting for the next September 11.
“There is now a new state of disbelief, a public attention deficit, when it comes to frequent public security warnings in the U.S.”

Similar complacency is feeding into another threat to emerge from globalism, one that no nation on earth can escape.

He said an upcoming report on climate change by 300 scientists “will be a sledgehammer in our solar plexus. It is saying that the impact of climate change in the north is so devastating, and is accelerating at such a pace, that it is putting at risk whole cultures.

“The polar bear, in my beloved province of Manitoba, is on the edge of extinction. This is not just happening in Uganda, or Colombia or Sudan. It’s happening in our backyard.

“Are we prepared to take on our responsibility, and lead the same kind of mobilization of effort that we did around the issue of land mines? We know that it won’t be cost-free; every one of us will pay some price, and have to change some of our behaviour.”

As an antidote to apathy, Axworthy hailed the emergence of a new kind of citizen, one who is always aware of his or her place in an interconnected world.

He called on Canadians to accept the challenges of global citizenship, which will increasingly involve addressing human rights violations. A key will be the international responsibility to protect, a concept which will become a centerpiece of Canada’s foreign policy.

“You can’t hide behind your government any more. You can’t say that the government made you do it.”

The international community has not just the option but the obligation to intervene if the government in the country in question is unwilling or unable to intervene, or is the predator itself. He believes that such help will create a greater sense of international community.
“As Canadians, the greatest contribution we can make is imagination. Once in a while, the door to the future opens. It is our decision whether or not to step through it.”

Axworthy’s speech was the inaugural lecture in the Henry P. Habib Distinguished Speakers’ Series on Peace, Conflict and Global Politics in the 21st Century. The new series is named after the longtime chair of the Political Science Department.