Michael Ignatieff

Michael Grant Ignatieff, (born 12 May 1947; Toronto) is a Canadian public scholar, writer, journalist and 'lifelong Liberal'. He was a strong supporter of the invasion of Iraq. In 2005, he entered politics and is now Deputy Leader of the Liberal Party of Canada.

Edward S. Herman noted in 2006 that "Michael Ignatieff is a skilled trimmer, who has adjusted his principles and thoughts to the demands of the U.S. and Canadian power elite, and advanced accordingly—from academia to preferred commentator on human rights and other political issues in the U.S. mainstream media, and on to becoming a member of the Canadian parliament." He also adds that "One would have thought it might be problematical for a professor of human rights to vigorously support two wars (Kosovo, Iraq) carried out in violation of the UN Charter and hence “supreme crimes” in the view of the judges at Nuremberg." (Herman ranks Ignatieff among what he refers to as The New Humanitarians)

Background

According to his website, "He was born and raised in Toronto, the son of a Russian émigré father and a Canadian mother, and received his undergraduate degree in history at the University of Toronto. He continued his studies at Oxford University and then at Harvard University, where he received his PhD in History in 1976." [1]

"Ignatieff, meanwhile, has helped turn human rights into a ‘disreputable slogan’, posing as their standard-bearer while condoning imperialism and equivocating on torture. His politics amount to a slippery slope, with nuanced arguments at the top and the horror chambers of Abu Ghraib below. Ignatieff, born and raised in Canada, has an impressive CV. The Director of the Carr Center for Human Rights Policy at Harvard University, he has also been a professor at Oxford, a prize-winning author of fiction and non-fiction, a prolific print journalist and a BBC broadcaster – a well-established pop intellectual." [2]

"In January 2006, Michael was elected as the Member of Parliament for Etobicoke-Lakeshore. He is married to Suszanna Zsohar, and has two children." [3]

"Michael Ignatieff joined the [Carr] Center in September 2000 as a Visiting Professor, and became both Director and Carr Professor for Human Rights Practice in February, 2001." [4]

Ignatieff and Lebanon

During Israel's invasion of Lebanon in 2006, Ignatieff opposed and early ceasefire because "it was very important for Israel to send Hezbollah a very clear message" that kidnapping soldiers and firing rockets on Israel will not be tolerated." Asked to respond to the massacre of Lebanese civilians in Qana which killed 54 civilians, 37 of them children, Ignatieff replied "This is the kind of dirty war you're in when you have to do this and I'm not losing sleep about that."[5]

As a result of the public outcry, Ignatieff soon reversed his position, and called the massacre a 'war crime'. At this point the Israel lobby decided to exact revenge, and soon there were high profile resignations from his camp. Ignatieff soon qualified his statement, saying "Whether war crimes were committed in the attack on Qana is for international bodies to determine." On 14 October, Ignatieff announced that he would visit Israel to meet with Israeli and Palestinian leaders and "learn first-hand their view of the situation". As Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch and Israel's own B'Tselem had stated that war crimes were committed in Qana, Ignatieff described the suggestion as "a serious matter precisely because Israel has a record of compliance, concern and respect for the laws of war and human rights". Ignatieff added that he would not meet with Palestinian leaders who did not recognize Israel. However, the Jewish organization sponsoring the junket subsequently cancelled the trip, because of too much media attention.

Affiliations

• Institute for War and Peace Reporting – Advisory Board
• Canadian House of Commons – Elected 2006
• Center for International Development – Faculty Associate
• Carr Center for Human Rights Policy – former visiting professor.

References, Resources and Contact=

Resources

Official sites

• Michael Ignatieff Leadership Campaign Website
• Official Website of Michael Ignatieff, Etobicoke-Lakeshore
• Federal Political Biography from the Library of Parliament
• Michael Ignatieff Biography
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Articles by Ignatieff

• Articles by Michael Ignatieff for the Carnegie Council
• The Meaning of Diana, Prospect Magazine, October 23, 1997. A review of Diana Spencer.
• Why Bush must send in his troops, The Guardian, April 19 2002. On why Ignatieff believes a two-state solution is the last chance for Middle East peace.
• The Burden, The New York Times Magazine, January 5, 2003. Written just prior to the Iraq war, this article explains his support for the invasion.
• The Lesser Evil: Hard Choices in a War on Terror, Carnegie Council on Ethics and International Affairs, January 23 2004.
• The Year of Living Dangerously, The New York Times Magazine, March 14, 2004. A follow-up to The Burden, discussing the war.
• Lesser Evils, The New York Times Magazine, May 2, 2004, An article on finding the balance between civil liberties and security.
• A Generous Helping of Liberal Brains, The Globe and Mail, March 4, 2005. An excerpt from his address to the biennial policy conference of the Liberal Party.
• Who Are Americans to Think That Freedom Is Theirs to Spread? , The New York Times Magazine, June 26, 2005. Ignatieff On Spreading Democracy
• Michael Ignatieff, Why Bush must send in his troops, The Guardian, 19 April 2002.