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App't announcement, mini-bio below...
Shared in accordance with the "fair dealing" provisions, Section 29, of the Copyright Act.
PM appoints point man for Afghan mission
Foreign affairs adviser takes on new role
CAMPBELL CLARK, Globe & Mail, 27 Jan 07
Article Link
OTTAWA -- Prime Minister Stephen Harper is moving his foreign-policy adviser into a job as point man for Canada's initiatives in Afghanistan, signalling a shift in the tone of Canada's efforts in the country toward aid and diplomacy efforts.
David Mulroney, a career diplomat, was appointed yesterday as the No. 2 bureaucrat in the Foreign Affairs Department, but also handed responsibility for co-ordinating the Afghan initiatives of all government departments.
Analysts said that the unusual appointment of a senior foreign affairs official with Mr. Harper's imprimatur to lead Afghanistan initiatives clearly places diplomats at the forefront of an Afghanistan policy that had until now been led by the Department of National Defence.
"There has only been a single-pillar approach to Afghanistan up to now, and that had been through the Department of National Defence," said Fen Hampson, the director of Carleton University's Norman Paterson School of International Affairs.
He said that while much of the focus has been on the role of Canadian troops based in Kandahar, the appointment of Mr. Mulroney will send a signal inside Ottawa that greater attention is being paid "to both the development and the diplomatic-political side of it as well."
The Harper government has insisted that Canadian troops must remain in Afghanistan until the country is stable, but opposition parties have charged that the Conservatives have focused on military action but neglected development aid and diplomatic efforts.
Yesterday, Mr. Harper said military efforts are necessary to ensure security, but acknowledged more development is needed.
"It's important that we respect our obligations toward the United Nations and also the civil population and the government of Afghanistan. We need more development. We all agree," he said yesterday.
"At the same time, Afghans in the south of Afghanistan are clear, too. We need security to have development and the government will proceed on both tracks."
The Prime Minister's acknowledgment echoed the move by the United States yesterday to step up aid and military efforts in Afghanistan.
U.S. officials announced a major injection of $10.6-billion in development aid over two years, as well as an additional 3,000 troops.
A shift in the Conservatives' tone on the Afghan mission could also serve as a reply to the criticisms of opposition parties.
While the NDP has called for a withdrawal of troops, the two larger opponents, the Liberals and the Bloc Québécois, signalled this week they will not oppose the Canadian mission now, but will criticize the way the Tories are conducting it. Liberal Leader Stéphane Dion had previously called for a massive "Marshall Plan" from the North Atlantic Treaty Organization to rebuild Afghanistan with more aid.
Yesterday, Liberal defence critic Denis Coderre said the appointment of Mr. Mulroney as co-ordinator of Afghan policy is "more a signal they are trying to control the damage and see how they can defuse the current political situation" than evidence they have developed an effective strategy.
The Conservatives have taken a narrow, military approach, making an open-ended commitment to the mission of Canadian troops in Afghanistan but ignoring the development and diplomatic efforts to make it succeed, Mr. Coderre said.
Several experts argue that the political debate in Canada about whether the Afghanistan mission is "balanced" between military action and aid is not really important.
The West has done too little, both in securing the country and rebuilding its economy, University of Ottawa political science professor Roland Paris argues. The West is losing ground because it has not been effective in helping the Afghan government provide its people with security and a functioning economy, he says.
"After 2001, parts of the country were basically neglected, and they were left insecure and unimproved," Prof. Paris said. "Most people who analyze this mission, who don't have a political axe to grind, are basically saying the mission is under-resourced both on the security side and the development side."
From Prime Minister announces changes in the senior ranks of the Public Service, 26 January 2007
Prime Minister Stephen Harper today announced the following changes in the senior ranks of the Public Service:
(....)
David Mulroney, currently Foreign and Defence Policy Advisor to the Prime Minister, Privy Council Office, becomes Associate Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, with particular responsibility for inter-departmental Afghanistan coordination, effective February 19, 2007.
(....)
DAVID MULRONEY
Date of Birth:
November 1954
Education:
B.A., English, University of Toronto
Professional Experience
Since March 2006 - Foreign and Defence Policy Advisor to the Prime Minister, Privy Council Office
2005 - 2006 - Assistant Deputy Minister, Bilateral Relations, Foreign Affairs Canada
2001 - 2005 - Assistant Deputy Minister, Asia-Pacific, Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada
1998 - 2001 - Executive Director, Canadian Trade Office in Taipei, Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada
1995 -1998 - Executive Director, Canada-China Business Council
1992 - 1995 - Commercial Counsellor, Canadian High Commission in Kuala Lumpur, Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada
1990 - 1992 - Executive Assistant, Deputy Minister for International Trade, Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada
1988 - 1990 - Deputy Director, East Asia Trade Division, Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada
1985 - 1988 - Consul, Canadian Consulate General in Shanghai, Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada
1982 - 1985 - Trade Commissioner, Canadian Embassy in Korea, Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada
1981 - 1982 - Assistant Trade Commissioner, St-John’s Regional Office, Industry Trade and Commerce Canada
Shared in accordance with the "fair dealing" provisions, Section 29, of the Copyright Act.
PM appoints point man for Afghan mission
Foreign affairs adviser takes on new role
CAMPBELL CLARK, Globe & Mail, 27 Jan 07
Article Link
OTTAWA -- Prime Minister Stephen Harper is moving his foreign-policy adviser into a job as point man for Canada's initiatives in Afghanistan, signalling a shift in the tone of Canada's efforts in the country toward aid and diplomacy efforts.
David Mulroney, a career diplomat, was appointed yesterday as the No. 2 bureaucrat in the Foreign Affairs Department, but also handed responsibility for co-ordinating the Afghan initiatives of all government departments.
Analysts said that the unusual appointment of a senior foreign affairs official with Mr. Harper's imprimatur to lead Afghanistan initiatives clearly places diplomats at the forefront of an Afghanistan policy that had until now been led by the Department of National Defence.
"There has only been a single-pillar approach to Afghanistan up to now, and that had been through the Department of National Defence," said Fen Hampson, the director of Carleton University's Norman Paterson School of International Affairs.
He said that while much of the focus has been on the role of Canadian troops based in Kandahar, the appointment of Mr. Mulroney will send a signal inside Ottawa that greater attention is being paid "to both the development and the diplomatic-political side of it as well."
The Harper government has insisted that Canadian troops must remain in Afghanistan until the country is stable, but opposition parties have charged that the Conservatives have focused on military action but neglected development aid and diplomatic efforts.
Yesterday, Mr. Harper said military efforts are necessary to ensure security, but acknowledged more development is needed.
"It's important that we respect our obligations toward the United Nations and also the civil population and the government of Afghanistan. We need more development. We all agree," he said yesterday.
"At the same time, Afghans in the south of Afghanistan are clear, too. We need security to have development and the government will proceed on both tracks."
The Prime Minister's acknowledgment echoed the move by the United States yesterday to step up aid and military efforts in Afghanistan.
U.S. officials announced a major injection of $10.6-billion in development aid over two years, as well as an additional 3,000 troops.
A shift in the Conservatives' tone on the Afghan mission could also serve as a reply to the criticisms of opposition parties.
While the NDP has called for a withdrawal of troops, the two larger opponents, the Liberals and the Bloc Québécois, signalled this week they will not oppose the Canadian mission now, but will criticize the way the Tories are conducting it. Liberal Leader Stéphane Dion had previously called for a massive "Marshall Plan" from the North Atlantic Treaty Organization to rebuild Afghanistan with more aid.
Yesterday, Liberal defence critic Denis Coderre said the appointment of Mr. Mulroney as co-ordinator of Afghan policy is "more a signal they are trying to control the damage and see how they can defuse the current political situation" than evidence they have developed an effective strategy.
The Conservatives have taken a narrow, military approach, making an open-ended commitment to the mission of Canadian troops in Afghanistan but ignoring the development and diplomatic efforts to make it succeed, Mr. Coderre said.
Several experts argue that the political debate in Canada about whether the Afghanistan mission is "balanced" between military action and aid is not really important.
The West has done too little, both in securing the country and rebuilding its economy, University of Ottawa political science professor Roland Paris argues. The West is losing ground because it has not been effective in helping the Afghan government provide its people with security and a functioning economy, he says.
"After 2001, parts of the country were basically neglected, and they were left insecure and unimproved," Prof. Paris said. "Most people who analyze this mission, who don't have a political axe to grind, are basically saying the mission is under-resourced both on the security side and the development side."
From Prime Minister announces changes in the senior ranks of the Public Service, 26 January 2007
Prime Minister Stephen Harper today announced the following changes in the senior ranks of the Public Service:
(....)
David Mulroney, currently Foreign and Defence Policy Advisor to the Prime Minister, Privy Council Office, becomes Associate Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, with particular responsibility for inter-departmental Afghanistan coordination, effective February 19, 2007.
(....)
DAVID MULRONEY
Date of Birth:
November 1954
Education:
B.A., English, University of Toronto
Professional Experience
Since March 2006 - Foreign and Defence Policy Advisor to the Prime Minister, Privy Council Office
2005 - 2006 - Assistant Deputy Minister, Bilateral Relations, Foreign Affairs Canada
2001 - 2005 - Assistant Deputy Minister, Asia-Pacific, Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada
1998 - 2001 - Executive Director, Canadian Trade Office in Taipei, Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada
1995 -1998 - Executive Director, Canada-China Business Council
1992 - 1995 - Commercial Counsellor, Canadian High Commission in Kuala Lumpur, Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada
1990 - 1992 - Executive Assistant, Deputy Minister for International Trade, Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada
1988 - 1990 - Deputy Director, East Asia Trade Division, Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada
1985 - 1988 - Consul, Canadian Consulate General in Shanghai, Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada
1982 - 1985 - Trade Commissioner, Canadian Embassy in Korea, Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada
1981 - 1982 - Assistant Trade Commissioner, St-John’s Regional Office, Industry Trade and Commerce Canada
