Comunidad del pacífico en perspectiva - Volumen 2

LA CoMUNmAD DEL PAciFICO EN PERSPECTIVA I F. OTTego Vicuña "By virtue of geography, history and present interest, Canada is a Pacific power. In tbe Pacific, as elSewhere, Canada is not a great power, not a ,prime mover. At tbe present time it does not appear to be in tbe Canadian interest to se'ek to particípate In tbe various multilateral or bilateral security agreements in the Pacifico However much Canada has in common witb tbe United Statestbe Canadian outlook is often fundamentally different, re· flecting a different historical evolution, different capacities in the internatio· na! power spectrum, and different interests. For Canada, as for many of the smalIer nations oE tbe Pacifico tbe problem for tbe future will be to define constructive policíes and intertelation.ships realisticalIy tied to individual national capacities, yet effectively a,).n¡'ed at common Pacific objectives. "American influence in the Pacific. in virtuaHy every sphere of acthity is so very great and all·pervasive that ít must be regarded as one of the most significant "givens" in any consideration of alternatives; Canadian in· terests and policies are almost everywhere affected by it. Attbe same time. there are otber important conditioning factors which impart special qualities and opportunities to Canadian activities in the area. "Canada has the advantage of sharing common governmental and other traditions witb the Commonwealtb countries in the Pacifico There have been fraternal links witb Australia, New Zealand, Malaysia and Singapore for some time. RecentIy there has be'en a rapid movement toward self.govern. ment and independence among the Commonwealtb island territories of the Soutb Pacific: Western Samoa, Nauru. Tonga and, later this year (1970), Fiji; witb others to follow in the coming decade. "Canadian francophone capacity is a unique and positive factor in faci· litating an approach to relations with tbe approximately 45 million in Soutbeast Asia, for whose countries - the states of Indochina the French language is an important means of international communication. French is also the official language of New Caledonia and French Polynesia, and is used with English in tbe New Hebrides. "Also of advantage to Canada i5 the opportunity to reflect tbe bilingual áspect of the coufttry with consequent contributions to the cause of nadonal Ullity through providing tbe francophone elements of Canada a greater sense of participating in and contributing to the life of the country in an area where Canada as a whale is only now consciousIy devcloping its potential". Canadian involvement in the polítical and security affaÍrs of the Pacific, while of importance, has been general1y intermittent except for our membership during two decades in the International Con· trol Commissions in Indochina between 1954 and 1974. Canada did take an active part in the Korean War, but we did not become involved in SEATO or in ANZUS. We avoided involvement in the 92