Canada and the 2001 United Nations World Conference Against Racism
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Western University Scholarship@Western Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository 9-16-2014 12:00 AM Canada and the 2001 United Nations World Conference against Racism Steven J. Seligman The University of Western Ontario Supervisor Professor Donald Abelson The University of Western Ontario Graduate Program in Political Science A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the equirr ements for the degree in Doctor of Philosophy © Steven J. Seligman 2014 Follow this and additional works at: https://ir.lib.uwo.ca/etd Part of the International Relations Commons Recommended Citation Seligman, Steven J., "Canada and the 2001 United Nations World Conference against Racism" (2014). Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository. 2466. https://ir.lib.uwo.ca/etd/2466 This Dissertation/Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by Scholarship@Western. It has been accepted for inclusion in Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository by an authorized administrator of Scholarship@Western. For more information, please contact [email protected]. CANADA AND THE 2001 UNITED NATIONS WORLD CONFERENCE AGAINST RACISM (Thesis format: Monograph) by Steven Joseph Seligman Graduate Program in Political Science A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy The School of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies The University of Western Ontario London, Ontario, Canada © Steven Joseph Seligman 2014 ABSTRACT The 2001 United Nations World Conference against Racism (WCAR) was one of the most controversial United Nations events of the post-Cold War era. Major issues on the agenda included the Middle East, the question of reparations for the transatlantic slave trade and colonialism, and the rights of indigenous peoples. Utilizing interviews with government and non-governmental actors as well as archival material, this dissertation examines Canada’s preparations for, and participation at, the WCAR as a case study to explore key theoretical debates about the Canadian foreign policy-making process. At the international level, Canada was an active participant during the multilateral negotiations in advance of the conference and at the conference itself. Drawing on the literature examining Canada as either a middle power, a satellite state or a principal power, this dissertation suggests that Canadian diplomacy did not fit easily into any one framework. On some occasions, Canada embraced middle power diplomacy; on other occasions, it embraced the positions advanced by the United States and other Western countries. At the domestic level, Canada established a consultation process involving many Canadian stakeholders intended to help shape the government’s position on key issues. Drawing on the literature examining the Canadian state as either pluralist, Marxian or statist, this dissertation suggests that the Canadian state wielded considerable autonomy from domestic actors and generally sought to define and advance its own interest, as expected by the statist view. KEYWORDS Canadian Foreign Policy, United Nations, World Conference against Racism ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The completion of a PhD dissertation can sometimes feel like a lonely process. Fortunately, I was surrounded by so many wonderful people who helped make the experience an enjoyable and rewarding one. First, I would like to extend my most sincere thanks to my advisor, Donald Abelson, whose kind words and thoughtful insights into the world of politics aided me immensely in the writing of this dissertation. I cannot thank him enough. I would also like to thank Elizabeth Riddell-Dixon for her friendly help and expert advice during the early stages of this project. In addition, I have benefitted from the expertise of the many faculty members who have taught me over the years, including Adam Harmes, Radoslav Dimitrov, Bruce Morrison, Andrés Pérez, Charles Jones, Cameron Anderson, Robert Young and Joanna Quinn. I thank them all. The members of my oral defense committee provided many valuable comments that helped me to think more deeply about the subject matter of the dissertation. For their service on the committee, I wish to thank Elizabeth Riddell-Dixon and Adam Harmes, from the department of political science; Keith Fleming, from the department of history; and Kim Richard Nossal, from Queen’s University. I would also like to thank all of the individuals who kindly agreed to be interviewed for this dissertation. Their perspectives provided valuable information about the political process both inside and outside government. I would particularly like to thank Karen Mock who shared with me binders upon binders of personal documents pertaining to her experience, and also helped me access the archives of the Canadian Race Relations Foundation, which proved very helpful. On that note, I wish to thank all iii of the staff members of the Foundation for their friendly hospitality while I hung around their office throughout November and December 2011. Of course, I also wish to thank my parents, Elaine and Clive, for always supporting me in whatever I do in life. I am very lucky to have such a wonderful mom and dad. Last, I wish to thank my wife, Thulasi, whose love and support have brought so much happiness into my life. I simply could not have completed this dissertation without her. * * * Naturally, I alone am responsible for any errors or omissions contained in this dissertation. iv TABLE OF CONTENTS ABSTRACT ........................................................................................................................ ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ............................................................................................... iii TABLE OF CONTENTS .................................................................................................... v CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION ....................................................................................... 1 1.1 - Canada and the World Conference against Racism ................................................ 9 1.2 - The two research questions ................................................................................... 12 1.3 - Methodology ......................................................................................................... 19 1.4 - Organization of the dissertation ............................................................................ 21 CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW .......................................................................... 23 2.1 - State autonomy and the domestic determinants of Canadian foreign policy........ 23 2.1.1 - Theories of the state ....................................................................................... 25 2.1.2 - Theories of the state and Canadian foreign policy ........................................ 29 2.1.3 - Interest groups and foreign policy ................................................................. 32 2.1.4 - Interest groups and Canadian foreign policy ................................................. 34 2.1.5 - The democratization of Canadian foreign policy .......................................... 37 2.1.6 - The domestic determinants of Canadian policy toward the World Conference against Racism ....................................................................................... 39 2.2 – Canada on the world stage ................................................................................... 40 2.2.1 - Canada as a middle power ............................................................................. 42 2.2.2 - Canada as a satellite/dependent power .......................................................... 47 2.2.3 - Canada as a foremost/principal power ........................................................... 51 2.2.4 - Canada on the world stage at the World Conference against Racism ........... 52 CHAPTER 3: UN CONFERENCES AND PREVIOUS CONFERENCES ON RACISM ........................................................................................................................... 54 3.1 - United Nations Conferences ................................................................................. 54 3.2 - United Nations Conferences on Racism ............................................................... 58 3.2.1 - The World Conference to Combat Racism and Racial Discrimination ......... 59 3.2.2 - The Second World Conference to Combat Racism and Racial Discrimination ........................................................................................................... 65 3.3 - Conclusion ............................................................................................................ 69 v CHAPTER 4: THE INTERNATIONAL PREPARATIONS (PART I) ........................... 70 4.1 - The First Preparatory Committee Meeting ........................................................... 70 4.2 - The Regional Conference of the Americas ........................................................... 84 4.2.1 - Indigenous peoples ........................................................................................ 92 4.2.2 - People of African descent, the transatlantic slave trade, colonialism and reparations ............................................................................................................... 104 4.2.3 - Other Issues ................................................................................................. 107 4.3 - Other Regional Preparatory Meetings ................................................................ 111 CHAPTER 5: THE DOMESTIC PREPARATIONS