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The situation in Syria is fluid. It’s one thing to bomb ISIL targets. ISIL is hated by all sides. But the main cause of death and devastation in Syria today is the regime of President Bashar Assad and its Russian backers, whose air campaign is knocking Aleppo flat. It’s naive to suggest that Canada and a handful of Hornets would be enough to stop that kind of a slaughter, even if our allies were motivated to ride into battle with us. They do not seem to be.

But it’s equally naive, and hypocritical, for Canada’s minister of foreign affairs, our top diplomat, to sit safely on the sidelines while imploring someone to do something. The UN and the international community have had years to intervene in Syria, and any number of other humanitarian catastrophes, and have notably failed to do so. Again and again, over and over. Dion knows this, and cynically contributes to the disillusionment of Canadians by calling for something to be done while doing next to nothing.

This government is not the first to talk tough while carrying an alarmingly small stick. The sad truth is that Canada has gone generations without a government that was willing to make the investments in the kinds of hard power — military might, intelligence capability, diplomatic offices and foreign aid commitments — that enable the soft power Liberals and Tories like to pretend Canada operates effectively on the global stage. Hard power is not beyond our means — we are a rich country, safe and secure behind oceans and our American allies. We could do more in the world and be a more effective leader in the quiet diplomatic corridors of power by taking on that burden.

But we don’t. Our politicians pose for photos with the troops while starving them of funds for equipment and training. We tweet while bombs rain down on medical wards. We call on the world to do more while doing little.

Canada isn’t back, not in Syria. We chose to leave. Hopefully someone will take our place.

National Post

mgurney@postmedia.com

Twitter.com/MattGurney

Matt Gurney is editor of, and a columnist for, the National Post Comment section. He hosts National Post Radio every weekday morning on SiriusXM’s Canada Talks, channel 167.