Transcript
Automated transcript · uncorrectedWith us today is a former Prime Minister of Canada, Stephen Joseph Hopper, and he’s been on a trip around the world throing some shuttle diplomacy and he’s here to update us at WABC of what’s going on in the world.
I’m mister Prime minister, give us your idea what the heck is going on? There’s so many problems in the world. Where do you want to start this morning?
Well, look, I’ve been to a bunch of places that are relevant. I think that this conversation was at the Munich Security Conference in Germany. I’ve been in Israel, I’ve been in the Gulf, in India, a few other places. Look, the world is in a really challenging situation. I’ve said for some years we’re going to have a lot of
macroeconomic and geopolitical turmoil, and we’re into it now with two wars and frankly, with a very unclear Western leadership and strategy for the world we’re living in.
Where do you want to begin I mean you won’t talk about Israel, the Ukraine.
Uh, Well, let me let me John, let me let me maybe talk about the message I’d like to get out to your list. Pe. Look, I always used to say as Prime Mister cant I think everybody knows I was a great friend of the United States of America, and I know that global leadership for the United States has been difficult, costly, disproportionate burdens.
But the world without American leadership is a dangerous place and ultimately will be a dangerous place for America itself. We have two conflicts in the world right now, the war in Ukraine with Russia, the war between Israel and Gaza.
You know, I do, really do think the population needs to be very clear that these are stark conflicts between American and Western allies and American and Western enemies. Ukraine is an ally, Russia is an enemy, Gaza is an enemy, Israel is an ally, and it is in all of our interests that our allies prevail. If our allies do
not prevail, that seriously jeopardizes our long term interests. A terrorist state in Gaza is not in the interest not just of Israel, of Canada, the United States, but a Russian victory in Ukraine but had devastating effects on global peace and security in Europe and ultimately the world as a whole. So we just have to find a way
of better supporting our allies so that they can win these conflicts.
Understood so many NATO. Yeah, President Trump as remarks about NATO, he wants them to to pony up the money they owe and in return he promises to protect them in turn. Sweden in the last couple of days has objected to sending troops into the Ukraine because it’s not a NATO country. Right, how do you think that does well?
So first of all, First of all, former President of Trump is absolutely correct to demand that the NATO countries pull their weight. That by the way, includes my own country, Canada. We should be doing more to pull our weight. Nobody is suggesting, to be really clear, nobody is suggesting that any NATO countries send troops into Ukraine. What we are
suggesting is that we continue financial assistance so the Ukrainians themselves who are willing to fight this war and are fighting and dying so that they can fight it. But look, they need to fight it to win. And the current administration’s approach I hate to say, because you know, they like the brag about how they brought the allies together,
but it brought the allies together behind a strategy of stalemate. And I know the American public, the American taxpayer and elsewhere we’re getting you know, sees this as a bottomless pit. We need a strategy victory. There is no reason the Ukrainians they have the will to fight. Give them the capacity and they will win this conflict. But they need
to have the capacity. And as they say, be under no illusion. If Ukraine is to fall of Russia, this will change global peace and security and have direct ramifications on this country as well as in Europe.
Now the wars are continuing. Yes, in the last couple of days on Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, things in the Red Sea, things in Messuez Canal are creating turmoil where President Biden wants to bring the price of crude oil down. The hoodies at the I guess there were on the demand of their parent company, Iran is keeping the price of
oil way up again. Right.
Well, look, the administration, as you know, John as schizophrenic on this. They want some days if they think they’re far from the electorate, they actually want the price of oil to go up because of their climate change agenda.
But then when they’re actually facing the voters, they understand they need to have the price go down. But right now, look, you pointed out we talked about the problem of the administration’s approach in Ukraine. Big problem of the approach in Gaza is to failure to recognize who the real enemy is.
The real enemy is Iran. It’s behind the Houthis, It’s behind all of the malevolent actors in the Middle East. And look the people I talked to our allies in the Gulf, they keep telling you, you know, it’s great to hit Hamas. They’re not for Hamas. Hit Amas, hit hit the hoothies, kit has Belah. But you know, you’ve
got to tackle the head, not just the arms and the legs. And the head is Iran. And this administration seems completely allergic to taking on the regime in Tehran.
We are punishing the people of uh the Palestinian people, and the problem was caused by Iran by paying off the Hamas to attack Israel.
Yeah, you know, look, I my view is a little bit nuanced. Let’s be under no illusion. While it’s a rainy and money behind Hamas, it is population in Gaza that furnishes the troops. And I think the polls show there’s a disturbing amount of support for Hamas, but that’s irrelevant.
We cannot tolerate a terrorist state. And the Israelis are absolutely right. You know, the Israel tried to contain Hamas, it didn’t work. They are absolutely right to seek its destruction and that’s in everybody’s interest.
I understand that, and they look, Israel has to defend themselves regardless. There’s controversy in Washington. The Speaker of the House has invited a net in Yahoo right and Schumer were a majority leader. Schumer was holding it off, and I understand finally he might have said, okay, oh, where did these politics? Being Canadian? Do you understand he’s American politics? Sometimes?
Well, look, I understand it to this degree. John. The current administration in Canada, the liberal administration, very similar to Senator Schumer and some others in the Democratic Party who are trying to play both sides of this issue rather than taking the morally and geopolitically correct position. That’s what they are doing. But the reality is that the State of Israel and Benjamin Etya, who the leader of
the State of Israel, the elected leader, are strong allies of this country, the United States, of the entire Western Alliance, and there is no reason why we should not hear what he has to say on these issues.
Understood. Where else would you like to go in the world. You’ve been traveling to almost to a country.
I’ve been traveling everywhere. What are some updates I can give you? I think one of the more interesting places I go regularly is India. India is the one part of the world right now, John, where you have a government that is in a strong political position. Premise or MODI will be re elected handily in a couple of months.
Government’s in a strong political position, and they’re moving their country in a strong economic and political direction. India’s a real, real growth spot right now, real spot for economic opportunity. I’ve long said long term that I would bet on the Indian model of development, the democratic model, over the Chinese one. People thought I was crazy for years. I
think views are starting to change on that. But that’s one really interesting spot in the world and once again a democratic country that should be our friend and ally. But there seem to be some in the liberal establishment who don’t understand.
That there’s big comfort tition between the Chinese at one point four big in people. Yeah, and how many are we well India now? India.
I think it’s around one point three one point four. It’s it’s very China and China and India are very close in population. I I don’t know who’s bigger, but I know that India shortly will be. India’s population continues to grow and its economy is growing. China’s population is actually shrinking, and of course it’s economy due to kind
of recent actions on both sides of the oceans, including its own government. China’s economy is really struggling right now.
I look at polls between President Trump and President Biden, and I don’t I just don’t understand the President Biden has made a lot of mistakes lately and the problems with the borders and you and Canada has problems with their borders with the United States, right, and what’s happening with that.
Well, look, I first of all, John, let me maybe just just give you my kind of perspective on all this. I was a conservative Prime Minister of Canada, and I now had something called the International Democracy Union, which is the global Federation of Conservative Party which includes the Republican Party in the United States. So I kind of come
from that end of the spectrum. But my view would be I don’t really care whether you’re left right or center. I think the integrity of a country’s borders are just fundamental to the purpose of a national government. And I just think the current administration’s approach, which strikes me as not it’s often portrayed as incompetent, strikes me as frankly,
a deliberate policy of open borders is unconscionable. And you know, we have our own problems in Canada, nothing similar, nothing as big. But this is a very serious problem. And look, I understand the frustration Americans who say, why would we defend Ukraine’s borders or why would we do defend Israel’s borders when our government won’t defend our own borders. The
answer is not to cut off Ukraine or Israel. The answer is to defend America’s borders, which any now, I know, I know I’m a foreigner intervening in politics, but it seems to me that’s just it doesn’t matter where you go in the world, you would expect the government to defend the borders of a country.
If you don’t have borders, you don’t have a country. That is correct. Well, Prime Minister Stephen Harper Thank you so much for visiting with us today, and let’s catch up again in the near future because we all have to work together to get a better world.
Always being enjoy being on John, Thanks for having me. God bless
Sunday, March 24, 2024
David Paterson
Former Governor of New York
Governor Hochul still facing crime problems despite the National Guard.
