Thank you for the question.
Unfortunately, I didn’t have the opportunity to talk about that with the American government. On the other hand, I have often had the opportunity to talk, candidly and informally, with representatives of the U.S. armed forces. Each time, they are astonished by the lack of a clear strategic line in Canada’s foreign policy. Yet that is a sine qua non for a coherent policy, particularly with regard to the IRGC.
I’d like to take this opportunity to talk about our reputation and the use of our resources. Earlier, I used the example of the IRGC’s activities in Sudan, where a civil war is currently raging—there are 8 million displaced people and tens of millions dead. We don’t even have an embassy there, not even a special envoy. What’s more, we still have no African policy. The IRGC is building a base in Port Sudan, which puts them close to Yemen. It is also negotiating the construction of a naval base in Djibouti.
As I said, some players are lucid. Others are naive, and I’m afraid we’re one of the latter.