Sorry again to be so self-promotional, but, if you’re interested, my latest piece at The Guardian on Canada’s rather exciting political situation was posted this morning:
It looks like the new leader of the Liberal Party will be former Harvard professor and noted international relations expert Michael Ignatieff. Ignatieff was first elected to Parliament in 2006, from a suburban Toronto riding. Although a relatively new parliamentarian, he is seen by many Liberals as the party’s saviour, and, indeed, he tends to carry himself with an air of detached statesmanship. The question, however, is whether he’ll be able to guide the party, currently in opposition, a distant second to Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s Conservatives, through these rather turbulent and partisan times. He would certainly boost the party’s credibility, and its poll numbers, but I have my doubts. While his academic credentials are impressive, his positions on such matters as pre-emptive war and torture, both of which he has defended in terms of his “lesser evil” theory, are, to put it mildly, controversial. Furthermore, it’s not clear what he stands for otherwise other than wishy-washy centrism and the advancement of his own political career.
My preference is former Ontario premier Bob Rae, a far more progressive figure than Ignatieff. But Ignatieff has the overwhelming support of the Liberal caucus and the decision could come as early as tomorrow.