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Justin Trudeau takes off for Ethiopia, the land of origins, this week. He is not going in search of the birthplace of humanity, the provenance of the first wild coffee plant or the source of the Nile, the world’s longest river.

But his quest is as timeworn as that ancient land – the bartering of political support for favours. Trudeau will visit Ethiopia, Senegal and Germany over the course of the next week, with the primary goal of securing support for Canada’s bid to win a seat on the United Nations Security Council.

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It is a pursuit that academic Adam Chapnick has called “the right decision made at the wrong time and for the wrong reasons”.

Chapnick, professor of defence studies at the Royal Military College and author of the book: Canada and the United Nations Security Council: A Small Power on a Large Stage, points out there are good practical reasons for Canada to seek a seat at the table that, nominally at least, is an important voice in global peace and security.