Sign on the Dotted Line

When does the signature on and ratification of an international treaty really mean anything? When does a President really speak for a nation? As our new Conservative Government in Canada shapes foreign policy and makes its way in the world it might do well to consider this when dealing with the elephant to the south. Under George W. the USA has thumbed its nose at the following;
The Geneva Convention, the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, The Kyoto Protocol, NAFTA, the anti-land mine convention, attempts to control the traffic in small arms, The Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty, the treaty banning biological weapons, the International Criminal Court. Iraq is deemed more important than the humanitarian disasters of the Congo and Darfur, despite the recent experience of Rwanda. "Preventitive War," or the first strike principle, rules at the expense of dialogue and consensus. The New World Order is a very dangerous place and Canada should be very cautious about rapprochement with US foreign policy.
Source; Lawrence Martin, the Globe and Mail, March 23rd, 2006.