Back in August, 2009, I touted the benefits of the close ties between Canada and the United Arab Emirates in the pages of this newspaper. Flash forward to today and things seem quite different. A commercial dispute escalated into a diplomatic incident between both countries in which no one party can emerge victorious. In this globalized world size matters less than it did 50 years ago and the emphasis is now on international co-operation. The issue of landing rights has escalated in neither side’s advantage. The local press has reported that in the two years that the UAE’s ambassador has been stationed in Ottawa he has yet to meet with Foreign Affairs Minister Lawrence Cannon. Read more »
Canada
A Canadian model for the Gulf
It’s an impossible variable to quantify, but it could be argued that Canada’s most important export to the Middle East is hope. It manifests itself in the substantial number of Canadians of Arab heritage who have chosen to return to the region their families left for work or a better future. Their return stirs a mixture of emotions: Here are educated young Arab men and women whose Western upbringings have armed them with modern and secular education. Whether their beliefs were liberal or conservative, they respect others. They look like us and speak like us but are charged with ambition and hope for the future: They are Arabs 2.0. Read more »