How Macron gave Trump and Trudeau a lesson in the uses of power

To most observers, it was dramatic, impressive political theatre.

And even if France's bold gambit to drag the United States and Iran back from the brink of war fails (as many of those same observers predict it will), it was a vivid expression of global power the kind Canada has the desire, but perhaps not the capacity, to exert.

In 2015, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau eagerly declared that Canada had returned to the world stage after a decade of Conservative government.

"Many of you have worried that Canada has lost its compassionate and constructive voice in the world over the past 10 years," Trudeau saidthe day after the election. "Well, I have a simple message for you. On behalf of 35 million Canadians, we're back."

To the Liberal government's credit, it has taken leadership roles in a few key hotspots or potential flashpoints Iraq and Latviain particular.

Through his chairmanship of the Group of Seven (G7) in 2018, Trudeau was centre stage ontwo of the most important global social justice and environmental issues of our time: gender equality and halting the alarming loss of biodiversity due to climate change.

But those issues call for policy initiatives that will take a generation or more to bear fruit.

French President Emanuel Macron described by some commentators as Trudeau's kindred spirit among world leaders embraced those measures. But he also used his chairmanship of this past weekend's G7 gathering in Biarritz to deploy French power with dramatic flair in an attempt to get U.S. President Donald Trump and Iran's Hassan Rouhani in the same room to cut a deal on Iran's nuclear program.

A dose of reality

Rightly or wrongly, the expectations created by Trudeau's "we're back" moment seem more akin to what we saw Macron do in Biarritzthan what came out of the G7 gathering under Trudeau's chairmanshipin Charlevoix, Que., last yeareven before that summit was hit bythe wrecking ball of Trump's tweets.

"The French were focused on realpolitik," said Colin Robertson, a former diplomat and vice president of the Canadian Global Affairs Institute. "The French have a much better grasp of what will work" in these settings, he added.

Macron "moved yardsticks," Robertsonsaid. "And whether they result in real gains, we'll see. But he really established France, once again, as a player."

Canada's foreign policy efforts under Trudeauhaven't beenentirely devoid of daring. The admission of tens of thousands of Syrian refugees in the weeks immediately after the last election, putting Canada at the diplomatic forefront for the rescue of Syrian White Helmetvolunteers,Ottawa's response to the Rohingya crisis in Myanmar they're all examples of important foreign policy initiatives for the Liberals.

'It's all a bitnebulous'

But given the scope of the problems facing the world rightnow, Robertson questions how effectiveTrudeau's approach to foreign policy has been.

"It's all good, but what have we done that has moved things significantly (on the world stage)?"he asked."It's all a bit nebulous at the moment."

Robertsonsaid he wonders if Trudeau has cultivated the necessary personal relationships with other world leaders,and the institutional support at home, to move the yardsticks in the way Macron appears to have done last weekend.

One member of the government who has moved those yardsticksparticularly with the White Helmet rescue is Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland.

Shehas established many close international relationships that have been instrumental in her work.She's also unwelcome in Russia,has angered both the Trump administration and Saudi Arabiaand was recently criticized publicly by the Chinese over her comments on the situation in Hong Kong.

Some in the human rights community have suggested Freeland is irritating all of the right people but a former insider suggested that too much fuss is being made about Freeland as a polarizing figure during trade talks with Washington.

"I think standing up for one's country is important, regardless of who is in power," said Sen.Peter Boehm, who acted as Canada's G7 organizer for the Charlevoix summit.

There are those who suggest that it's too early to say Macron made any material improvement in the relationship between the U.S. and Iranthat the two nations have, in the words ofAnthony Cordesman of the Center for Strategic and International Studies, "reverted back to unnegotiable positions."

Cordesmanarguedin a recent analysisthat the U.S. has so far been all "sticks" and no "carrots" with Iran.

He suggested that Washington work with petroleum importers like Japan and South Korea to offer Iran a major trade and investment package.

It would be, Cordesman wrote, an incentive for making "specific changes in its behavior."

Canada has not re-established diplomatic relations with Iran but it could use its influence with Japan and South Korea to bring about such a deal and ease tensions among those nominal Far East allies.

"Essentially, we can ask, 'What can we do to be helpful?'" Robertson said. "There a lot of realpolitikthings out there to do in the world, if you want to."