PM Who? From Where?

Thanks to Paul Wells, I found this article by Paul Martin in one of the world's premier foreign affairs mags.

Wells makes some good points (so go read them there), I'd like to make two additional points here:

1. Stupid Organizations: There are very few international organizations that are of any use. With the exception of the World Trade Organization, I can't think of a single international organization that has done what it was supposed to do and that has done it well. Most these organizations turn into either a debating union or a target for domestic anger. (For example, if you want to get elected in Brazil just start bashing the World Bank, if you want to get elected in US, start bashing the United Nations.) So to create a new forum, when about a dozen other fora exist, is only useful in the eye of a process driven person. Someone once wrote that committees were dedicated to keeping minutes and wasting hours. This is especially true in the international arena. (Don't get me wrong, as an internationalist, I wish there were more useful int'l organizations, but as we stand there are few.)

2. Stupid Paul Martin: When was the last time a Prime Minister of a G8 country got completely ignored when making a MAJOR foreign affairs announcement? I can't think of one. The problem with Paul Martin is that he is committed to so many number one priorities that people start tuning out. They stop taking him seriously. This is what is happening on the international front. Paul Martin cannot be trusted to focus on any one issue. There is no need to pay attention to this MAJOR policy shift, because there will be another MAJOR policy shift tomorrow, and one on the weekend. Paul Martin has turned into the boy that cried priority, or wolf, or whatever. Speaking of which, has anyone seen any coverage on the foreign affairs white paper? You know the one that was so important that took a billion years to write? Where is it? Is it propping up a chair at the Minister's office?

Lessons: When it comes to international affairs no one listens to Paul Martin. Fortunately, this is a good thing since Paul Martin hasn't had a single original or good idea yet.