Many commentators were surprised and puzzled when the Canadian government closed its embassy in Iran last week. But the actions are sudden only to us observers on the outside. These kinds of political machinations happen often, especially in a government that knows it holds a tenuous grip on targeted voters in Canada. What better way to crank up the domestic sentiment than to thumb your nose at an entire country that a large portion of your constituency is hostile towards, while other western leaders are left scratching their collective heads?
Canada's Foreign Affairs Minister recently convened ambassadors in Ottawa and pressed for an aggressive stance against Iran. The West's threat of military intervention in Iran is akin to spanking your child while yelling, "Don't hit others!" Canada needs to influence its allies with a "do what we do" approach.