US Ambassador Paul Cellucci
2003; SAGE Publishing; Volume: 58; Issue: 4 Linguagem: Inglês
10.1177/002070200305800412
ISSN2052-465X
Autores Tópico(s)Canadian Policy and Governance
ResumoIN TWO NATIONAL CAPITALS, the stories about Paul Cellucci abound. But like the capitals themselves, the conclusions drawn from these anecdotes are often conflicting and contradictory.In Washington, the US ambassador to Ottawa is a valued member of President George W. Bush's team, even if Canada is sometimes viewed by the administration as an irritant, something to be swatted from time-to-time when it becomes impossible to ignore.In Ottawa, however, Cellucci is a work in progress, the lightning rod for an alternately icy and stormy bilateral relationship, leaving him the embodiment of an administration that is unpopular north of the border.To some, Washington's man in Ottawa is aloof, sometimes terse; a man who rarely warms to his subject and has difficulty bridging the gulf between the sharp-elbowed world of Massachusetts politics and the more subtle galaxy of international diplomacy.Others admire him for his quick mind and enthusiasm, saluting him as a loyal soldier whose allegiance to those who have helped him--these supporters range from his Massachusetts security detail to President George W. Bush.Cellucci, a proud member of the Boston Red Sox nation, movie buff and friend of America's first family, has a direct pipeline to the Bush Oval Office. is clearly unafraid to use a bullhorn to get the White House message across, jolting Canadians when the Republican administration feels a message has to be sent north of the border.It is this blunt, unembroidered style, which has split friends, foes and analysts when they gauge the former Massachusetts governor's impact on Canada-US relations.He feels honoured the president chose him to be the ambassador to Canada, he didn't want to be posted anywhere else, says his number two at the embassy, Stephen Kelly, who has served under three ambassadors in Canada.I think former governors make tremendous ambassadors because they are used to running states, they have the CEO vision and style and they set goals without micro-managing.Kelly says his boss is a strong people person... he's demanding, and he doesn't like surprises. But when things don't go well, he doesn't take people's heads off.Others haven't seen the people person.Many who have dealt with Cellucci regularly say they believe he is shy and overly formal. They point to the lack of segues in any conversation with the ambassador and although they say he is a smart man, one said he didn't find Cellucci user friendly.Maybe that comes out in Boston, but in Toronto or Ottawa he appears to be a fish out of water, says one former diplomat who has dealt extensively with Cellucci.Whether his blunt style works depends on whether one likes the message.His value lies in being a clear and honest interlocutor between Ottawa and the current administration, says David Rudd, the president of the Canadian Institute of Strategic Studies.When he says something, he is reflecting the views from the Oval Office.That is particularly important because of the uncomfortable relations between Bush and [former Prime Minister Jean] Chretien and it became even more important as those relations have gone from uncomfortable to bad.Former Liberal foreign affairs minister Lloyd Axworthy says Canadians resent Cellucci's vice-regal style.His performance has been abominable, Axworthy says. He has far overstepped the line for a US ambassador. may be taking his marching orders from the head office, but he has gone way beyond his job description... has treated Canada likes he's dealing with the south side of Boston.There is likely no way Cellucci, who arrived in Ottawa with no diplomatic experience, could have hunkered down below the political radar given the extraordinary confluence of events since his arrival.He was the intermediary between two leaders who had no rapport at a time when unilateral moves by Bush placed Chretien and his Liberals in a delicate position, wary of threats to this country's sovereignty while mindful of its need to maintain cordial relations with its giant neighbour. …
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