For those who posit that PM Carney should have taken a stronger stand over Iran as Canada did in 2003 with Iraq. The problem is that the world that existed in 2003 no longer exists.

From the post … ““Some notable commenters from Canada argued that since Canada took a strong position against the U.S. invasion of Iraq in 2003, it must do the same this time. The problem with that argument is simple: the world today is not the world of 2003.

Canada is now building alliances in a far more complex geopolitical environment. It has a looming strategic threat from the south. It has to consider what Europe wants. It has to consider what Jordan wants. It has to consider what the broader Middle East wants. And when even those actors are still trying to figure out how to handle the chaos the Trump administration has injected into the system, how on earth can Carney rush to take a rigid position?

He should not. He needs to wait. He needs to wait until Europe and the Middle East decide how they want to handle this crisis.

Why did Macron move a French aircraft carrier toward Cyprus? What are Spanish and Italian frigates doing in the Mediterranean? Why did Chancellor Merz instruct the German armed forces to increase readiness?

Are they itching to enter the war?

No.

They are positioning themselves so the democratic world is not caught off guard. They are preparing for contingencies.

But according to some pundits, Carney must draw a line in the sand right now and tell Europe it is on its own — simply because Canada set a precedent in 2003. If the world were still operating under the geopolitical conditions of 2003, then yes, that argument might make sense. But alliances do not function that way anymore.

The United States has made it increasingly clear that it is not behaving like a reliable ally. The real alignment that is emerging now is Canada, Europe, and Japan.

That is the axis that matters.

What Carney did — and he was slightly ahead of Europe on this — was likely calculate that Iran could expand the conflict by striking additional Middle Eastern states. If that happens, Europe may be forced to step in to defend regional partners. And if Europe steps in, Canada cannot suddenly be out of alignment with its closest democratic partners.

So Carney positioned Canada in the middle.

And the BBC report above essentially confirms that calculation.”