Canada and the US; the huge differences; at least in foreign policies

Unlike Bush, who showed disdain for the United Nations and international law after 9/11, Canadians remain advocates of both. Now even Bush is being forced to accept that he needs the U.N.'s moral authority, resources and expertise to win his war.

Where Bush cynically exploited 9/11 to depose Saddam Hussein in Iraq by falsely linking him to Al Qaeda, Canadian policy-makers refused to go along, despite intense pressure. That set a precedent: We will not be dragged into every U.S. conflict just because Washington slaps a "terror war" label on it.

In the U.S., lawmakers rammed through the draconian Patriot Act without much debate, and many regret that haste. Canadians held a fierce debate about our own (still deeply flawed) Public Safety Act and Anti-Terrorism Act, forcing Ottawa to accept sunset clauses and to abandon some odious provisions that gave ministers undue power.

In short, Canada has opted for a measured, moderate, multilateral approach to fighting terror, one which avoids ideological baggage and which strikes a better balance between security and civil rights.

The 9/11 killers got our attention. But they have not caused us to freak out, abandon civil liberties and rush into battles that needn't be fought.

Defend ourselves we will. But in our own way, true to our own values.

Yes, Canadian policies are very different than the US's. Should I call them more civilized or... may be just civilized?

Read the rest of this interesting article from Toronto Star.

Also, America struggles with a 9/11 world is another interesting article from Toronto Star.