But if we want to see how a real tough guy handles the U.S. president, we should check out the prime minister of Spain.
True, Carney showed boldness in his speech in Davos last January, but it’s been Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez who’s really exhibited some Robert De Niro chops in dealing with Trump.
Carney has wavered — first showing support, then opposition — to the war against Iran launched by Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Canada restricts arms exports to Israel, but Carney has refused to close a loophole that permits their export via the U.S.
By contrast, Sanchez has clearly denounced Trump and Netanyahu for waging this brutal, unnecessary war. Sanchez has also taken action, denying Trump the use of Spanish military bases, and imposing a total arms embargo on Israel.
Indeed, Sanchez has shown a toughness that stands out for its sanity in the precarious new world we’re suddenly navigating due to the rising belligerence of Trump and Netanyahu.
This world is different than the one we’ve known.
Of course, the U.S. has rarely been the “beacon on the hill” claimed by its admirers, who overlook its long history of overthrowing foreign governments.
But Washington also did good things in the world, helping establish vital institutions like the United Nations, and funding global food and health programs.
Under Trump, America’s good side has vanished. Now we have an increasingly unhinged (and perhaps demented) “leader of the free world” threatening to destroy Iran’s entire civilization, casting 90 million Iranians back to the “stone age.”
This willingness to kill large numbers of people seems to be shared by Netanyahu. An investigation by the New York Times showed it was Netanyahu who convinced Trump to go to war against Iran — a war that had little support among senior Trump officials.
Canadians might be surprised to learn the extent of Israel’s military ambitions, which go well beyond denying Iran a nuclear weapon.
Israel portrays its actions as defensive. But, in the wake of the 2023 massacre by Hamas, Israel clearly feels entitled to exert power beyond its borders, annexing land as it sees fit — as spelled out by prominent Israeli commentator David Weinberg in a recent column in the Jerusalem Post.
Weinberg, who is also director of the Israel office for the Canadian Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs (CIJA), wrote that “Israel intends to act like a superpower, proactively asserting dominance along its borders and strategic ascendancy against threats further away.”
Weinberg defended Israel’s war on Gaza — called a “genocide” by genocide scholars — asserting that there “will not be, for the long-term future, any Palestinian life in this area. No rehabilitation and reconstruction here.” The same for Lebanon, he insisted. “When Israel is done, nothing will remain, alas, of the villages of southern Lebanon and no Lebanese villagers likely will be able or allowed to return to this area.”
This belief that southern Lebanon rightly belongs to Israel is also evident in a recent social media post in which Israeli settler Anna Slutskin says that God has promised Lebanese homes to Israeli settlers.
Clearly, many Israelis believe they’re entitled to take full control of Palestinian land, as well as other territory they consider theirs, based on religious teachings.
The scary thing is that Israel has the backing of the ruthless and (shall we say) mentally challenged president of the United States who commands the world’s most powerful military.
In today’s dangerous reality, the best hope is for countries to stand together, collectively opposing this lawless new world order where two nuclear-armed countries stride about unrestrained, bombing civilians and threatening whole societies.
Spain has given us a glimpse of how to stand up against this. If only Canada could be similarly brave.
This article was originally published in the Toronto Star.
