[Submitted to the Globe and Mail, but not published]
August 13, 2017
Sometimes, when your friend is on the verge of doing something dangerous, you have to intervene. It’s certainly good that [Canada's Foreign Affairs Minister] Chrystia Freeland criticized the dangerous rhetoric and actions of the crazy North Korean dictator, but what about the twitterer in chief in the White House?
If it’s not possible for Canada to criticize a friend, we’re not true friends. Even silence would speak volumes, as people have noticed with Trump’s silence over white supremacist violence. To simply say, “When they [the US] is threatened, we are there.”, without also noting Trump's tweeted threats, is higly irresponsible.
Will Freeland still put all the blame on North Korea if Trump is emboldened to a pre-emptive strike? Even if that results in the North devasting Seoul, and the Chinese military crossing the border, as they have promised to do if the US throws the first punch?
