With twin crises in Syria and Iran requiring increasingly complicated diplomatic solutions, this week Inside the Issues talks to Paul Heinbecker, long-time Canadian diplomat and former ambassador to the United Nations. Government repression in Syria, Heinbecker says, has raised the prospect of triggering the Responsibility to Protect (R2P) principle, and if the US were not in an election year, a military intervention from the air would be more seriously considered. The dangers of attacking Iran, meanwhile, far outweigh the potential benefits; Heinbecker argues that the country's history of non-aggression and the West's record of containing a nuclear Russia and China show that a more prudent course of action with Iran is required.
Series: Inside the Issues, Season Two
Now in its second season, the Inside the Issues weekly podcast series will run from October 2011 to April 2012, covering timely and candid discussions on issues related to the core areas of CIGI expertise: Global Economy, Global Security & Politics, and International Law. Join host and CIGI Chair David Welch as he goes in depth with leading experts on the most pressing global governance challenges facing the international community today.