{"id":1390625,"date":"2023-12-13T20:49:19","date_gmt":"2023-12-13T20:49:19","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/radiofree.asia\/?guid=efa44c680eb3f337449ebef4f6317e17"},"modified":"2023-12-13T20:49:19","modified_gmt":"2023-12-13T20:49:19","slug":"limits-of-the-acceptable-left","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/radiofree.asia\/2023\/12\/13\/limits-of-the-acceptable-left\/","title":{"rendered":"Limits of the \u2018acceptable\u2019 left"},"content":{"rendered":"<figure class=\"\n              sqs-block-image-figure\n              intrinsic\n            \"\n        >\n          \n        \n        \n\n        \n          \n            \n          \n            \n                \n                  \n                  \n                  \n                  \n                  \n                  \n                  <img data-stretch=\"false\" 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\n\n\n\n<a href=\"https:\/\/www.thecanadafiles.com\/articles\/limits-of-the-acceptable-left#\" onclick=\"doGTranslate('en|zh-CN');return false;\" title=\"Chinese (Simplified)\" class=\"gflag nturl\"><img src=\"https:\/\/gtranslate.net\/flags\/blank.png\" height=\"24\" width=\"24\" alt=\"Chinese (Simplified)\" \/><\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thecanadafiles.com\/articles\/limits-of-the-acceptable-left#\" onclick=\"doGTranslate('en|en');return false;\" title=\"English\" class=\"gflag nturl\"><img src=\"https:\/\/gtranslate.net\/flags\/blank.png\" height=\"24\" width=\"24\" alt=\"English\" \/><\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thecanadafiles.com\/articles\/limits-of-the-acceptable-left#\" onclick=\"doGTranslate('en|fr');return false;\" title=\"French\" class=\"gflag nturl\"><img src=\"https:\/\/gtranslate.net\/flags\/blank.png\" height=\"24\" width=\"24\" alt=\"French\" \/><\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thecanadafiles.com\/articles\/limits-of-the-acceptable-left#\" onclick=\"doGTranslate('en|de');return false;\" title=\"German\" class=\"gflag nturl\"><img src=\"https:\/\/gtranslate.net\/flags\/blank.png\" height=\"24\" width=\"24\" alt=\"German\" \/><\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thecanadafiles.com\/articles\/limits-of-the-acceptable-left#\" onclick=\"doGTranslate('en|it');return false;\" title=\"Italian\" class=\"gflag nturl\"><img src=\"https:\/\/gtranslate.net\/flags\/blank.png\" height=\"24\" width=\"24\" alt=\"Italian\" \/><\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thecanadafiles.com\/articles\/limits-of-the-acceptable-left#\" onclick=\"doGTranslate('en|pt');return false;\" title=\"Portuguese\" class=\"gflag nturl\"><img src=\"https:\/\/gtranslate.net\/flags\/blank.png\" height=\"24\" width=\"24\" alt=\"Portuguese\" \/><\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thecanadafiles.com\/articles\/limits-of-the-acceptable-left#\" onclick=\"doGTranslate('en|ru');return false;\" title=\"Russian\" class=\"gflag nturl\"><img src=\"https:\/\/gtranslate.net\/flags\/blank.png\" height=\"24\" width=\"24\" alt=\"Russian\" \/><\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thecanadafiles.com\/articles\/limits-of-the-acceptable-left#\" onclick=\"doGTranslate('en|es');return false;\" title=\"Spanish\" class=\"gflag nturl\"><img src=\"https:\/\/gtranslate.net\/flags\/blank.png\" height=\"24\" width=\"24\" alt=\"Spanish\" \/><\/a>\n\n\n\n<br \/><select onchange=\"doGTranslate(this);\"><option value=\"\">Select Language<\/option><option value=\"en|af\">Afrikaans<\/option><option value=\"en|sq\">Albanian<\/option><option value=\"en|ar\">Arabic<\/option><option value=\"en|hy\">Armenian<\/option><option value=\"en|az\">Azerbaijani<\/option><option value=\"en|eu\">Basque<\/option><option value=\"en|be\">Belarusian<\/option><option value=\"en|bg\">Bulgarian<\/option><option value=\"en|ca\">Catalan<\/option><option value=\"en|zh-CN\">Chinese (Simplified)<\/option><option value=\"en|zh-TW\">Chinese (Traditional)<\/option><option value=\"en|hr\">Croatian<\/option><option value=\"en|cs\">Czech<\/option><option value=\"en|da\">Danish<\/option><option value=\"en|nl\">Dutch<\/option><option value=\"en|en\">English<\/option><option value=\"en|et\">Estonian<\/option><option value=\"en|tl\">Filipino<\/option><option value=\"en|fi\">Finnish<\/option><option value=\"en|fr\">French<\/option><option value=\"en|gl\">Galician<\/option><option value=\"en|ka\">Georgian<\/option><option value=\"en|de\">German<\/option><option value=\"en|el\">Greek<\/option><option value=\"en|ht\">Haitian Creole<\/option><option value=\"en|iw\">Hebrew<\/option><option value=\"en|hi\">Hindi<\/option><option value=\"en|hu\">Hungarian<\/option><option value=\"en|is\">Icelandic<\/option><option value=\"en|id\">Indonesian<\/option><option value=\"en|ga\">Irish<\/option><option value=\"en|it\">Italian<\/option><option value=\"en|ja\">Japanese<\/option><option value=\"en|ko\">Korean<\/option><option value=\"en|lv\">Latvian<\/option><option value=\"en|lt\">Lithuanian<\/option><option value=\"en|mk\">Macedonian<\/option><option value=\"en|ms\">Malay<\/option><option value=\"en|mt\">Maltese<\/option><option value=\"en|no\">Norwegian<\/option><option value=\"en|fa\">Persian<\/option><option value=\"en|pl\">Polish<\/option><option value=\"en|pt\">Portuguese<\/option><option value=\"en|ro\">Romanian<\/option><option value=\"en|ru\">Russian<\/option><option value=\"en|sr\">Serbian<\/option><option value=\"en|sk\">Slovak<\/option><option value=\"en|sl\">Slovenian<\/option><option value=\"en|es\">Spanish<\/option><option value=\"en|sw\">Swahili<\/option><option value=\"en|sv\">Swedish<\/option><option value=\"en|th\">Thai<\/option><option value=\"en|tr\">Turkish<\/option><option value=\"en|uk\">Ukrainian<\/option><option value=\"en|ur\">Urdu<\/option><option value=\"en|vi\">Vietnamese<\/option><option value=\"en|cy\">Welsh<\/option><option value=\"en|yi\">Yiddish<\/option><\/select>\n\n\n\n<hr \/>\n\n\n  <p class=\"\">Written by: Yves Engler<\/p><p class=\"\">A Canadian icon is also a symbol of the limits of the \u201cacceptable-to-the-system left\u201d in this country.&nbsp;<\/p><p class=\"\">Maude Barlow is anti-Palestinian, staunchly pro-NATO and supportive of the US empire. The long-time head of the Council of Canadians highlights the western chauvinism that grips much of Canada\u2019s left.&nbsp;<\/p><p class=\"\">This author recently looked through two months of Barlow\u2019s posts on X (formerly Twitter). Even though this author knew she promoted the NATO proxy war, was an obstacle to Palestine solidarity at the Council of Canadians and the organization she led published a position paper praising Canada\u2019s role in Haiti two years after the 2004 coup, the extent of Barlow\u2019s Western chauvinism was a surprise.&nbsp;<\/p><p class=\"\">Barlow certainly appears anti-Palestinian. She hasn\u2019t criticized the Canadian government for enabling Israel\u2019s genocide in Gaza even though she retweeted multiple hyperbolic condemnations of Hamas\u2019 attack on October 7. Over the past two months Barlow has also posted multiple times about antisemitism. Some of these statements were anti-Palestinian smears promoting the Israel lobby\u2019s claims about protests at Cafe Landwehr and Aroma in Toronto as well as a dispute at Concordia University in Montr\u00e9al. She also reposted a message about a \u201ctotally false claim about Israel bombing a church in Gaza\u201d while ignoring Israel\u2019s well documented bombings of mosques, bakeries, hospitals, etc.&nbsp;<\/p><p class=\"\">With 18,000 Palestinians killed in \u2014 including 8,000 children \u2014 the closest Barlow has come to criticizing Israeli actions was reposting UN Secretary-General Ant\u00f3nio Guterres noting: \u201cMy appeal today from the Middle East: Immediate, unrestricted &amp; sustained humanitarian aid for civilians in Gaza. Immediate &amp; unconditional release of all hostages. Immediate &amp; dedicated efforts to prevent the spread of violence, which is increasing the risk of spillover.\u201d&nbsp;<\/p><p class=\"\">Over the past two months, Barlow has said nothing about Israel cutting off water to Gaza or the dire lack of clean drinking water there. Nor has she said anything about the more than <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2023\/11\/14\/middleeast\/united-nations-staff-deaths-gaza-intl-hnk\/index.html\" >100 UN<\/a>&nbsp;workers killed or the 60 journalists murdered.&nbsp;<\/p><p class=\"\">Concurrently, Barlow has criticized the Syrian government half a dozen times. Over the past two months she\u2019s reposted multiple complaints that the attention focussed on Israel\u2019s onslaught in Gaza is taking attention away from violence committed in Syria by the government, Iran or Russia. \u201cWhile the Gaza-Israel war has dominated the world headlines, Russia and the Assad regime have increased their attacks in Syria by at least 35 times\u201d, claimed one post.&nbsp;<\/p><p class=\"\">But Barlow is not really concerned about Syrians. She has ignored Israel\u2019s weekly bombing in Syria, including <a href=\"https:\/\/www.timesofisrael.com\/liveblog_entry\/syria-says-israel-hit-aleppo-and-damascus-airports-putting-them-out-of-service\/\" >multiple strikes<\/a> that have <a href=\"https:\/\/www.timesofisrael.com\/israel-said-to-bomb-damascus-airport-hours-after-it-returned-to-operational-status\/\" >closed<\/a>&nbsp;the Damascus airport for nearly two months. Nor has Barlow mentioned that US troops occupy almost <a href=\"https:\/\/nationalinterest.org\/feature\/the-us-military-proud-owners-one-third-syria-25306\" >a third<\/a>&nbsp;of Syrian territory in violation of international law.&nbsp;<\/p><p class=\"\">Barlow explicitly supports the US empire. She recently reposted neoconservative Max Boot noting, \u201cIf Trump regains the White House, he would be likely to abandon both NATO and Ukraine. U.S. allies in East Asia which depend on U.S. troop deployments \u2014 notably South Korea and Japan \u2014 would also be at risk of abandonment.\u201d Barlow also recently quoted George W Bush\u2019s Iraq war speechwriter David Frum noting, \u201cUS is today warning Venezuela not to invade Guyana, starting a war of imperial aggression in this hemisphere. One indispensable way to enhance the credibility of the US warning: don't abandon Ukraine.\u201d&nbsp;<\/p><p class=\"\">Over the past two months Barlow has posted dozens of times in support of the NATO proxy war in Ukraine. She re-posted a call for the University of Manitoba to oust Professor Radhika Desai for her position towards Russia and quoted the head of the US military\u2019s position on Ukraine. She recently retweeted Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya noting: \u201cDictatorship is like cancer \u2014 it will keep spreading unless stopped. The pressing question is: who will be next? That's why supporting Ukrainians &amp; Belarusians in the fight for freedom is an obligation for every democratic country.\u201d&nbsp;<\/p><p class=\"\">Barlow\u2019s support for the NATO proxy war bleeds into her Middle East outlook.&nbsp;She\u2019s relayed multiple messages blaming Russia for \"instigating war in the Middle East\u201d or demanding that Russia and Iran\u2019s \u201callies and proxies must also be viewed as your enemies.\u201d Another repost declared, \u201cRussia is arming, financing, planning and sharing intelligence with ANY regime or terror group that is willing to wage war on the west. And Putin could be totally stopped by merely arming Ukrainians that are willing to do ALL the heavy lifting. Western weakness is incredible.\u201d Donating $100 billion in arms and a similar amount in other forms of assistance to Ukraine is \u201cweakness\u201d. Maybe Barlow believes that threatening nuclear war would signify \u201cstrength\u201d.&nbsp;<\/p><p class=\"\">Barlow\u2019s international positions are extreme for someone identifying as on the left. But not a total outlier, as this author detailed in <a href=\"https:\/\/blackrosebooks.com\/products\/engler-left-right\" ><em>Left, Right<\/em><\/a><em>: Marching to the Beat of Imperial Canada<\/em>.&nbsp;<\/p><p class=\"\">That\u2019s why the popular revolt we\u2019ve seen over the past two months, against Canada\u2019s complicity in Israel\u2019s genocide, is remarkable. It\u2019s been organized with little institutional backing and has successfully exposed&nbsp;the decrepit nature of Canadian foreign policy, whatever Maude Barlow may claim.&nbsp;<\/p><p class=\"\">Sad to say, in an effort to maintain mainstream approval as an \u201cacceptable\u201d left some are unwilling to challenge imperialism.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n<hr \/>\n\n\n  <p class=\"\"><strong>Editor\u2019s note: <\/strong>Introducing Operation 135, The Canada Files\u2019 campaign to go from 65 to 200 consistent financial supporters.<strong>&nbsp;<\/strong>The Canada Files is the country's only news outlet focused on Canadian foreign policy. We've provided critical investigations &amp; hard-hitting analysis on Canadian foreign policy since 2019, and need your support.<br>&nbsp;<br>Please consider joining 84 consistent financial supporters, in setting up a monthly or annual donation <a href=\"https:\/\/donorbox.org\/the-canada-files\">through Donorbox<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n<hr \/>\n\n\n  <p class=\"\"><strong>Yves Engler<\/strong> is the author of 12 books. His latest book, available now, is \"Stand on Guard For Whom? -- A People's History of the Canadian Military\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n<hr \/>\n\n\n  <p class=\"\"><span><strong>More Articles<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"syndicated-attribution\">This post was originally published on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thecanadafiles.com\/articles\/limits-of-the-acceptable-left\">Articles - The Canada Files<\/a>. <\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>             &#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":16,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[91],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/radiofree.asia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1390625"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/radiofree.asia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/radiofree.asia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/radiofree.asia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/16"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/radiofree.asia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1390625"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/radiofree.asia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1390625\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1404148,"href":"https:\/\/radiofree.asia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1390625\/revisions\/1404148"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/radiofree.asia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1390625"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/radiofree.asia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1390625"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/radiofree.asia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1390625"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}