bout de papier, Vol. 19, No. 4 (2003) — Winter/Spring 2002/2003 // Hiver/Printemps 2002/2003, p. 3
Two of the major features in this issue are particularly relevant to the day-to-day life of foreign service officers, and are well-deserving of close scrutiny.
Pierre Beaudoin’s “La saga des otages” spotlights the delicate, and generally unsung, work of consular officers in Canada’s foreign service. Probably one of the most rewarding aspects of foreign service, the provision of assistance to Canadians in distress requires a skillful mix if tact, empathy, judgement and grace under pressure, combined with the kind of time-sensitive hustle one normally associates more with very good hockey players during the playoffs. Because of its nature, much consular work is low-profile and confidential, and as a result doesn’t often leap to the minds of Canadians when they consider what it is that their diplomats do to earn their paycheques overseas. It is therefore a particular pleasure to present a detailed case study of this work in action, in the hope that it provides to those with an interest in the functioning of Canadian diplomacy an appreciation of the depth and texture of the work undertaken by those working in Canada’s foreign service abroad.
Those of us who are current practitioners of Canadian diplomacy will want to take careful note of David Malone’s retrospective on his far-from-completed foreign service career, and its comparisons and contrasts with, as he puts it, “life in the non-profit world” (… not that many of us are making profits here in the civil service …). His observations on how outsiders view the Canadian foreign service are salutary — we do not often get the opportunity to hear a frank analysis of our work, especially by a practitioner of diplomacy both within and outside the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade. David Malone’s remarks deserve close analysis, both in terms of our personal conduct as foreign service officers, and in terms of the corporate direction the Department is taking.
Les ouvrages à l’étude dans le présent numéro portent sur le même thème. La critique que Greg Donaghy livre des mémoires de Mark MacGuigan révèle une perspective intéressante de la fagon dont, selon un ancien ministre des Affaires étrangères, il faut s’y prendre pour établir la politique étrangère. Alan Bowker, pour sa part, parle de « Why Canadian Unity Matters and Why Americans Care », œuvre de Charles Doran, professeur de renom, ici encore un point de vue étranger sur ce qui est par tradition considéré comme une question d’ordre national. Enfin, Nancy Fraser se penche sur « À Moveable Marriage », de Robin Pascoe, qui examine la délicate dynamique de la permutation comme style de vie sous divers angles.
« In Arabia Felix », essai photographique de Nicholas Coghlan, ancien rédacteur en chef de bout, contient des images particulièrement évocatrices du Yémen — dont aucune ne semble avoir été prise de la fenêtre de l’omniprésente Peugeot 504. Notre correspondant régulier, Roger Lucy, nous révèle qu’à l’ère des Babyloniens, la diplomatie et le protocole posaient des défis dont de nombreux sont identiques à ceux que nous sommes aujourd’hui appelés à relever.
One section of bout from which I continue to derive great satisfaction is the diligent work of departmental historian Hector Mackenzie in ferreting out brilliant vignettes from Foreign Affairs’ dusty but not dry history. This issue’s contribution, on the struggle for the recognition of Canada’s distinct status in the world following World War I, is worthy of a close read.
Senior Editorial Board member George Grande provides a warm and wistful commentary on changes in the scale of problems faced by everyday folks, and A Aalto has been particularly mischievous in this issue’s head-scratcher of a puzzle. bout continues to invite commentary and discussions on our offerings: we can be reached by e-mail at boutdepapier @ pafso-apase.com, or by standard mail at the address listed in our masthead.
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Originally published in / Publié à l’origine dans bout de papier, Vol. 19, No. 4 (2003) — Winter/Spring 2002/2003 // Hiver/Printemps 2002/2003, p. 3. Read the rest of this issue / Lire le reste de ce numéro →
