Such a thoughtful discussion. Underscores my view of Americans: ‘when they’re good, they’re very damn good…’. The reverse of that sentiment may also be true, but not in the case of this fine diplomat. Discussion was far more policy rich than one might have expected. Thank you to you both.
Thanks for this interview - it is a reminder of what 'normal' sounds like.
Good diplomat to understate things - the very model of discretion!
The stress we now live with is that the incoming president is of the Foghorn Leghorn School of Relationships. The absence of decorum and routine unseemly utterances is very difficult to get by. Yet, at day's end, I live in hope that rationality and respect dominates negotiations and discussions.
Very fine work. What a pleasure to be able to listen to two thoughtful and skilled professionals discussing serious matters. Mr Cohen made for a very fine representative of the world's most important country. I suspect he will be a very hard act to follow.
Sometimes it can be easy to be cynical of ambassadorial appointments by the USA as cronyism . But Heyman ,and in this case Cohen , certainly dispel that notion. Excellent interview. Will there be a sign of intelligent life with Trumps appointment to Canada or just another bagman.
Short version: any Canadian head of government should always be free to visit any foreign dignitary; I find this idea of "Team Canada" unanimity ridiculous -- we're not facing any kind of unanimous "Team America," nor would we ever expect to; and for all anyone knows, she'll get a more sympathetic ear because she came with Trumpy types as her garantors
I was a bit put off by the ambassador's misstatements around the Chinese spy balloon, including the implication that Canada would have been saved by the F-35 (the balloon was actually shot down by an F-22, and the F-35 and CF-18 operate at similar altitudes).
Politics. The fact that we were unable to respond and relied on the Americans is beyond discouraging. Our glorious military heritage has simultaneously been diminished and squandered - and I'm not putting all of that on Trudeau, by any means. That's a problem that is several decades in the making -- more than 60 years of neglect.
I did like his comments on the situations in both Canada and the US being that democracy is playing out. In both countries the way our respective democracies are crafted is now leading to a peaceful transition of power. It may not always happen with the speed that certain individuals want, but it does happen. And while today's challenges always seem more pressing than at any other time in history, for some reason, I think that in the long run, Canada will emerge. We will meet the test.
I had previously heard him on another podcast, so his comments on defense and spending did not surprise.
Mr Cohen was very diplomatic (sorry for the terrible pun) in his responses. An entertaining and excellent interview. Comparing the relationship between Russia and Finland and Canada and the US though is a bit of a stretch (c'mon Paul). Finland used to be a province of Imperial Russia (a Grand Duchy to be exact) until Finland gained her independence after the Bolshevik seizure of power in 1917. The Soviet Union attacked Finland in 1939. Finland became a co-belligerent with Germany in 1941 (not that Finland had any choice). After the war, Finland was fortunate not to have been occupied by the Red Army, unlike all of the other countries in Eastern and Central Europe. Any small country on the periphery of Russia has an uneasy existence. That is not the relationship we have with the US. The coming presidency of Donald Trump might finally be a wakeup call for Canada to start acting like a nation, and treat the various regions equally. Instead of simply pulling stuff out of the ground and selling it to the Americans and Chinese, maybe we can start actually building things here (again).
Such a thoughtful discussion. Underscores my view of Americans: ‘when they’re good, they’re very damn good…’. The reverse of that sentiment may also be true, but not in the case of this fine diplomat. Discussion was far more policy rich than one might have expected. Thank you to you both.
Thanks for this interview - it is a reminder of what 'normal' sounds like.
Good diplomat to understate things - the very model of discretion!
The stress we now live with is that the incoming president is of the Foghorn Leghorn School of Relationships. The absence of decorum and routine unseemly utterances is very difficult to get by. Yet, at day's end, I live in hope that rationality and respect dominates negotiations and discussions.
Fingers crossed.
Fascinatingly calm and frank discussion about the chaotic times we are living in. Thank you.
Excellent. Insightful.
Very fine work. What a pleasure to be able to listen to two thoughtful and skilled professionals discussing serious matters. Mr Cohen made for a very fine representative of the world's most important country. I suspect he will be a very hard act to follow.
Sometimes it can be easy to be cynical of ambassadorial appointments by the USA as cronyism . But Heyman ,and in this case Cohen , certainly dispel that notion. Excellent interview. Will there be a sign of intelligent life with Trumps appointment to Canada or just another bagman.
Here's the pick. Not entirely my cup of tea, but he seemed to believe this stuff before it was cool, at least https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/trump-hoekstra-ambassador-canada-nominee-1.7389147
Very interesting that your guest feels that Danielle Smith’s approach to Trump are appropriate.
I certainly do.
I hope you write something to elaborate on that, or perhaps attach a link if you already have.
Short version: any Canadian head of government should always be free to visit any foreign dignitary; I find this idea of "Team Canada" unanimity ridiculous -- we're not facing any kind of unanimous "Team America," nor would we ever expect to; and for all anyone knows, she'll get a more sympathetic ear because she came with Trumpy types as her garantors
I was a bit put off by the ambassador's misstatements around the Chinese spy balloon, including the implication that Canada would have been saved by the F-35 (the balloon was actually shot down by an F-22, and the F-35 and CF-18 operate at similar altitudes).
For a better account of the episode, see the recent piece by Tom Blackwell: https://nationalpost.com/feature/untold-story-of-chinese-spy-balloon
Politics. The fact that we were unable to respond and relied on the Americans is beyond discouraging. Our glorious military heritage has simultaneously been diminished and squandered - and I'm not putting all of that on Trudeau, by any means. That's a problem that is several decades in the making -- more than 60 years of neglect.
I did like his comments on the situations in both Canada and the US being that democracy is playing out. In both countries the way our respective democracies are crafted is now leading to a peaceful transition of power. It may not always happen with the speed that certain individuals want, but it does happen. And while today's challenges always seem more pressing than at any other time in history, for some reason, I think that in the long run, Canada will emerge. We will meet the test.
I had previously heard him on another podcast, so his comments on defense and spending did not surprise.
Mr Cohen was very diplomatic (sorry for the terrible pun) in his responses. An entertaining and excellent interview. Comparing the relationship between Russia and Finland and Canada and the US though is a bit of a stretch (c'mon Paul). Finland used to be a province of Imperial Russia (a Grand Duchy to be exact) until Finland gained her independence after the Bolshevik seizure of power in 1917. The Soviet Union attacked Finland in 1939. Finland became a co-belligerent with Germany in 1941 (not that Finland had any choice). After the war, Finland was fortunate not to have been occupied by the Red Army, unlike all of the other countries in Eastern and Central Europe. Any small country on the periphery of Russia has an uneasy existence. That is not the relationship we have with the US. The coming presidency of Donald Trump might finally be a wakeup call for Canada to start acting like a nation, and treat the various regions equally. Instead of simply pulling stuff out of the ground and selling it to the Americans and Chinese, maybe we can start actually building things here (again).
I’m surprised to hear I was attempting a comprehensive equation of one country with another.