Canada; projecting soft power in a hard world

And just how soft is our soft power? Why, softer than a week-old kitten!

Just a couple of weeks ago Bessma Momani was celebrating our great fluffiness in the pages of The Globe and Mail. Yup, we’re gifting those Iraqi’s something so special that money can’t buy it; inclusion and diversity!

No doubt we’re doing the same for Mali. Thank God for Canada! Without us, thoughts of inclusion and diversity might never cross the minds of those backward brown folks!

I have a hunch that inclusion and diversity are a long way from top-of-mind in either Mali or Iraq. To make such asinine comments requires the writer to pretend they’re not aware of the Canadian Forces ongoing struggles with inclusion and diversity. If the CF can’t get their own diversity ducks in a row, how are they to model diversity and inclusion in Mali or Iraq?

Today Mark MacKinnon quoted a Global Affairs spokeswoman to the effect that one reason Canada gives money to the White Helmets is so they can “get more women involved in managing the organization.”

Now that’s one fluffy exercise in soft power! Think about it for a minute; The White Helmets operate in those areas of Syria controlled by the Islamist “freedom fighters,” aka al-Qaeda, al-Nusra, ISIS, and so forth. These are extreme Islamic fundamentalists. They’re gonna use our money to train more women for leadership positions?

Now THAT’S FLUFFY!