Dictionary of Meaning
<<Back
Please select a letter:
A |
B |
C |
D |
E |
F |
G |
H |
I |
J |
K |
L |
M |
N |
O |
P |
Q |
R |
S |
T |
U |
V |
W |
X |
Y |
Z |
0-9
Click here for Shopping
Michael Ignatieff
*** Shopping-Tip: Michael Ignatieff
Image:M_ignatieff_056.jpg right|thumb|Michael Ignatieff
'''Michael Grant Ignatieff,'''
Member of the Canadian House of Commons MP,
Doctor of Philosophy Ph.D,
Master_of_Arts_%28postgraduate%29 M.A.,
Bachelor of Arts B.A. (born
May 12,
1947 in
Toronto) is a noted
Canada Canadian scholar,
Novel novelist and
Liberal Party of Canada Liberal Member of Parliament in the
Canadian House of Commons. He was elected on
January 23 2006, representing the south-western
Toronto riding of
Etobicoke—Lakeshore Etobicoke-Lakeshore. Ignatieff was named associate critic for Human Resources and Skills Development in the
Official Opposition Shadow Cabinet (Canada) Official Opposition Shadow Cabinet on February 22, 2006.
Background
Ignatieff is the son of Canadian diplomat
George Ignatieff and Alison Grant, and the grandson of Count
Paul Ignatieff, who was the Tsar's last Minister of Education and one of the few to escape execution by the Bolsheviks. His Canadian antecedents include his maternal great grandfather,
George Monro Grant, the dynamic 19th century principal of
Queen's University. His mother's younger brother was the political philosopher
George Grant (philosopher) George Grant (1918-1988), author of ''Lament for a Nation''. His great-grandfather was Count
Nikolay Pavlovich Ignatyev, the Russian
Minister of the Interior under
Alexander III of Russia Tsar Alexander III.
Michael Ignatieff attended
Upper Canada College, an exclusive private secondary school in Toronto, and then studied
history at the
University of Toronto's
University of Trinity College. There, he met fellow student (and future social democratic
Premier of Ontario)
Bob Rae, who became a longtime close friend. From 1965 to 1968 , he worked as a journalist at ''
The Globe and Mail'' newspaper. Ignatieff went on to receive his
Doctor of Philosophy Ph.D in History from
Harvard University in 1976, after which he taught at the
University of British Columbia from 1976 to 1978. He held a Senior Research Fellowship at
King's College, Cambridge King's College,
University of Cambridge Cambridge from 1978 to 1984.
Ignatieff discusses his family history in his book called ''Russian Album'' but is best known for his writing and scholarship on
human rights issues. He is fluent in several languages, including French, English and Russian. Until
2005 he was Carr Professor of the Practice of Human Rights and Director of the
Carr Center for Human Rights Policy at the
Kennedy School of Government John F. Kennedy School of Government Harvard University and has seven
Honorary degree honorary doctorates to his name. On
August 26,
2005, it was announced that Ignatieff was leaving Harvard to become the Chancellor Jackman Visiting Professor in Human Rights Policy at the
University of Toronto.
Michael Ignatieff is married to his second wife
Hungary Hungarian-born Zsuzsanna Zsohar. He has two children, Theo and Sophie, from a previous marriage.
Recognition
Since the early nineties, Ignatieff has written extensively on the dangers of nationalism in a post-cold war world.
Ignatieff also writes fiction, his most recent publication being the well-received ''Charlie Johnson in the Flames''.
Ignatieff was chosen to deliver the 2000
Massey Lectures. His lecture series, entitled "The Rights Revolution", looked at how, since the proclamation of the
Universal Declaration of Human Rights in 1948, rights have become "the dominant language of the public good around the globe." {{ref.html">1987 Governor General's Awards
1987 Governor General's Award for Non-Fiction. ''Virtual War: Kosovo and Beyond'' won the
Orwell Prize for political non-fiction. ''Blood and Belonging'' won the
Lionel Gelber Award. His novel ''Scar Tissue'' was short-listed for the
Booker Prize.
Controversies
In recent years, Ignatieff has generated controversy by supporting the
2003 invasion of Iraq 2003 U.S. invasion of Iraq and suggesting Canada take a look at the proposed Canada-U.S. North American
National Missile Defense Missile Defence Shield.
Particularly controversial was an article that Ignatieff published in [http://www.ksg.harvard.edu/news/opeds/2004/ignatieff_less_evils_nytm_050204.htm The New York Times Magazine] on
May 2 2004 which covered several aspects of human and civil rights and although Ignatieff is now a member of the Canadian Parliament, he used "we" and "us" in reference to America and americans some 43 times in this one article; e.g. "Our constitutional rights...Our system..is supposed to be the American way...". Other controversial statements Ignatieff made in the 2004 article were;
Torture
Ignatieff advocated [http://www.ksg.harvard.edu/news/opeds/2004/ignatieff_less_evils_nytm_050204.htm "a lesser evil approach"] in which legislation might permit coercive interogation including "forms of sleep deprivation that do not result in lasting harm to mental or physical health, together with disinformation and disorientation (like keeping prisoners in hoods) that would produce stress." [http://www.ksg.harvard.edu/news/opeds/2004/ignatieff_less_evils_nytm_050204.htm]
Conor Gearty, professor of human rights law at the
London School of Economics accused Ignatieff and other liberal intellectuals of giving
Donald Rumsfeld "the intellectual tools with which to justify his government's expansionism" and creating an atmosphere in which torture ordered by the US government might be condoned.
Human Rights
Ignatieff said that; "Sticking too firmly to the rule of law simply allows
terrorists too much leeway to exploit our freedoms..
When democracies fight terrorism, they are defending the
proposition that their political life should be free of
violence. But defeating terror requires violence. It may
also require coercion, secrecy, deception, even violation of
rights...To defeat evil, we may have to traffic in evils: indefinite
detention of suspects, coercive interrogations, targeted
assassinations, even pre-emptive war...The question is not whether we should be trafficking in lesser evils but whether we can keep lesser evils under the
control of free institutions.."
Privacy
Ignatieff said that; "One possibility is for Congress to establish minimum
national standards for identification, using the latest
biometric identifiers." and "Giving the F.B.I. the same powers to wiretap terrorist
suspects that they already use against the Mafia and drug
traffickers seems reasonable."
Civil Rights
Ignatieff said that; "A second victory for civil liberties -- the taming of the C.I.A. after its excesses during the Vietnam War era -- may
have also weakened our human intelligence capacities...Waiting until police have met the Fourth Amendment's exacting standards for search, seizure and arrest would expose innocent civilians to unnecessary risk of terrorist
attack." This article insinuted that "civil libertarians" had contributed to the rise of terrorism. The same article condones targeted assassinations, "coersive techniques" to obtain information from suspects, and pre-emptive war.
British media personality
Ignatieff lived in the
United Kingdom for much of the time from the late
1970s through the mid
1990s. He became well known as a broadcaster on radio and television, most notably as presenter of
BBC 2's arts programme, ''
The Late Show (BBC2) The Late Show'' and
Channel 4's ''Voices''. His documentary series ''Blood and Belonging: Journeys into the New Nationalism'' aired on
British Broadcasting Corporation BBC in
1993. He was also an editorial columnist for ''
The Observer'' newspaper from
1990 to
1993.
Ignatieff also appeared as himself in the 1991 feature film ''Antonia and Jane''.
[[http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0101358/fullcredits IMDb: ''Antonia and Jane'']]
Political career
Image:Ignatieff speaking assembly hall.jpg 250px|right|thumb|Michael Ignatieff speaking to citizens in the riding of Etobicoke—Lakeshore, at Assembly Hall in Etobicoke, 18 January 2006.
In January 2005, journalist/biographer
Peter C. Newman suggested that Ignatieff could be an ideal leadership candidate for the governing
Liberal Party of Canada after
Paul Martin retired as leader, which he did in his concession speech after the election on January 23rd, 2006. Ignatieff was the keynote speaker at the Liberal Party's national biennial convention in Ottawa in early March 2005.
Nomination controversy
After months of rumours, Ignatieff confirmed in November 2005 that he intended to run for a seat in the Canadian House of Commons in the
Canadian federal election, 2006 winter 2006 election. While the media engaged in rampant speculation as to which riding would be chosen for Ignatieff's candidacy, it was eventually announced that Ignatieff would seek the Liberal nomination in the Toronto riding of
Etobicoke—Lakeshore. Ignatieff was considered a
star candidate by the media.
According to a press release by members of the riding association, a nomination meeting was set for November 30, 2005 by the Liberal Party leadership, mere hours after the resignation of Liberal MP
Jean Augustine was announced on Friday November 25, with the deadline to file as a candidate in the nomination meeting set for 5 pm the next day. Despite such short notice, two candidates other than Ignatieff managed to obtain the necessary number of signatures and fill out the nomination papers. "The two candidates delivered their nomination documents to Liberal Party headquarters in Toronto, only to find that the office was locked before the 5:00 p.m. filing deadline. Liberal party staffers could be seen through the second storey windows, but they refused to answer repeated knocking on the doors and phone calls to the office,"
[[http://www.warrenkinsella.com/musings.htm]] according to the press release. On Sunday, about 40 Ukrainian Canadians picketed Liberal Party offices in Toronto to protest the events around Ignatieff's candidacy.{{ref|miffed}}
Jean Augustine was a well-liked, long-serving MP, and was the first Black woman elected to the House of Commons. The fact that Ignatieff took over the nomination of her riding in such a hasty and covert fashion has been a contributing factor to the nomination controversy.
Ukraine Ukrainian Canadian members of the
riding association have complained that the party establishment is trying to help Ignatieff at the expense of other potential candidates for the nomination, as well as complained regarding allegedly anti-Ukrainian comments in his 1993 book ''Blood and Belonging : Journeys into the New Nationalism'' in which Ignatieff wrote
[[http://toronto.ctv.ca/servlet/an/local/CTVNews/20051127/ignatieff_election_051127/20051127/?hub=TorontoHome]]:
:I have reasons to take the Ukraine seriously indeed. But, to be honest, I'm having trouble. Ukrainian independence conjures up images of peasant embroidered shirts, the nasal whine of ethnic instruments, phony Cossacks in cloaks and boots...�
[[http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20051128.wignatief1128/BNStory/National/]]
However, controversy died down when it was revealed that the above quote was taken out of context, from a chapter in which Ignatieff argues against such stereotypes.
After winning the Liberal nomination in the riding of Etobicoke-Lakeshore, Ignatieff sent out a press release regarding the controversy and his positions:
:"This is a transparent attempt to twist my writings with the objective of sowing division and strife in Liberal ranks on the eve of a campaign. I am satisfied that tactics of this sort tend to rebound heavily on their perpetrators when weighed against the truth.
:My record and writings on the subject matter of Ukraine and Ukrainian history are clear. I welcome anyone who wants to review that record to do so in its entirety."
[[http://en.michaelignatieff.ca/news/campaignnews/100 Nov. 28 2005 Ignatieff Press Release]]
Despite the speculation that the "fix was on" given the process under which the two other candidates' nomination papers were filed, the Liberal Party reviewed the nomination papers and the two candidates were disqualified according to the party's own rules (one, because he was not a member of the party and the second candidate, because he had failed to resign from his position on the riding association executive before seeking the nomination). The candidates, who had retained counsel, soon abandoned the appeal of the rejection of their nominations and then lost their appeal of Ignatieff's acclamation, which had been based on his residency status.
Victory
Despite the ongoing controversy and opposition from some Liberals in Etobicoke-Lakeshore, Michael Ignatieff was able to stave off the Conservative candidate and win a
constituency seat in the
Canadian House of Commons during the
Canadian federal election, 2006 2006 Canadian Federal Election by a margin of roughly 5,000 votes.
Leadership
Michael Ignatieff is expected to announce his candidacy in the upcoming
Liberal Party of Canada leadership convention, 2006 Liberal leadership race in the week following March 31, 2006.
[http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20060325.wxmichael0325/BNStory/National/home] The race was triggered by former Canadian Prime Minister
Paul Martin's resignation from the Liberal leadership. Ignatieff will prelude his candidacy announcement with speech on March 30 outlining his vision for the future of the Liberal Party, which will form the basis of his campaign. A "Draft Ignatieff" website
[[http://www.draftignatieff.org/ Draft Ignatieff]] was launched by enthusiastic Liberals hoping he would take the plunge, and an on-line petition had been circulated among Liberal blog sites.
[[http://www.petitiononline.com/DraftMI/petition.html]]
He has been buying beer and pizza for Young Liberals in university clubs accross the country, including Quebec's McGill and Concordia. Senator
David Paul Smith David Smith, a powerful
Jean Chretien Chretien organizer, and Alf Apps, a powerful
Paul Martin Martin fundraiser, are heading up his campaign. Reports suggest that other prominent Ignatieff backers include former
Premier of Ontario Ontario Premier David Peterson and former
Pierre Trudeau Trudeau Cabinet minister
Marc Lalonde.
[[http://www.macleans.ca/topstories/politics/article.jsp?content=20060403_124360_124360]]
On
March 30, he gave a speech to a packed room at the
University of Ottawa, entitled "Canada and the World". In it, he outlined his views on foreign policy, federal-provinicial relations, and the environment, among other things. Several protesters attended the event, wearing hoods and orange jumpsuits, similar to those of
Guantanamo and
Abu Ghraib, alleging that Ignatieff supports torture. Ignatieff acknowledged their right to protest but pointedly denied their claims in his speech.
In his speech, he refused comparisons to Pierre Trudeau, but did liken himself to
Sir Wilfrid Laurier. In an ironic twist, although the majority of Ignatieff's career has focused on the evils of nationalism, he said that one of his campaign platforms would be to increase Canadian unity through inspiring nationalism in its citizens.
Media tidbits
According to Jane Taber of The
Globe and Mail:
:Late last spring (2005),
André Boisclair, now the
Parti Québécois Leader, graduated from Harvard's Kennedy School of Government, where Michael Ignatieff was teaching. As Mr. Boisclair was coming off the stage with his diploma, Dr. Ignatieff was there to shake his hand. "So are you going home?" Dr. Ignatieff asked the Quebec sovereignist. (Former PQ leader
Bernard Landry had just surprised everyone by announcing his resignation.) "I think so. Will I meet you there?" asked Mr. Boisclair, who served as a minister in PQ governments. Said Dr. Ignatieff, "We'll see."
A SES Poll - Liberal Leadership poll found the following:
Question: Regardless of the party you support, who would be your choice to succeed Paul Martin as Liberal leader? (Read and Rotate)
*Unsure 28%
*Ken Dryden 14%
*'''Michael Ignatieff 12%'''
*Bob Rae 12%
*Belinda Stronach 11%
*Frank McKenna 7%
*Brian Tobin 7%
*Anne McLellan 4%
*Joe Volpe 3%
*Martin Cauchon 1%
*Other 2%
Works
*''A Just Measure of Pain: Penitentiaries in the Industrial Revolution, 1780-1850'',
1978
*''The Needs of Strangers'',
1984
*''The Russian Album'',
1987 (winner of the
1987 Governor General's Awards 1987 Governor General's Award for Non-Fiction)
*''Asya'',
1991
*''Scar Tissue'',
1993
*''Blood and Belonging: Journeys Into the New Nationalism'',
1994
*''Warrior's Honour: Ethnic War and the Modern Conscience'',
1997
*''Isaiah Berlin: A Life'',
1998
*''Virtual War: Kosovo and Beyond'',
2000
*''The Rights Revolution'',
2000
*''Human Rights as Politics and Idolatry'',
2001
*''Empire Lite: Nation-Building in Bosnia, Kosovo and Afghanistan'',
2003
*''The Lesser Evil: Political Ethics in an Age of Terror'',
2004
*''Charlie Johnson in the Flames'',
2005
*''American Exceptionalism and Human Rights (ed.)'',
2005
External links
-
Official Website of Michael Ignatieff, Etobicoke-Lakeshore
-
Draft Ignatieff - A bilingual Draft Michael Ignatieff as the New Liberal Leader website
-
''Notable Names Database'' profile of Michael Ignatieff
-
Why Bush must send in his troops by Ignatieff, on why he believes imposing a two-state solution is the last chance for Middle East peace. Published in ''
The Guardian'',
April 19 2002
* Michael Ignatieff. [http://www.carnegiecouncil.org/viewMedia.php/prmTemplateID/8/prmID/4370 The Lesser Evil, transcript of remarks at ''Carnegie Council'' ], ''Carnegie Council on Ethics and International Affairs'', January 23, 2004.
* Michael Ignatieff. [http://www.ksg.harvard.edu/news/opeds/2004/ignatieff_less_evils_nytm_050204.htm Lesser Evils], ''New York Times Magazine'', May 2, 2004.
* Ronald Steel. [http://www.globalpolicy.org/empire/terrorwar/analysis/2004/0725lesserevil.htm Ignatieff tells us how to do terrible things and come away feeling good about it], ''New York Times'', July 25, 2004.
* Howard Friel & R. Falk. [http://www.mediabistro.com/articles/cache/a3179.asp A Critique of "The Lesser Evil"], ''MediaBistro.com'', November 12, 2004.
-
No More Mr. Nice Guy Laurie Taylor of Britain's ''
New Humanist'' magazine profiles Ignatieff with a focus on the controversy in academe over his views on the Iraq war and American internventionism. Published in the ''
Toronto Star'',
August 28 2005.
-
Ignatieff's Empire by
Martin Kramer, attacking him for not being sufficiently pro-Israel.
-
Ignatieff accepts professorship at the University of Toronto
* {{contemporary writers|id=141}} includes a "Critical Perspective" section
-
Speech to Liberal Policy Convention, 2005
-
Statement by Michael Ignatieff, November 28, 2005
-
Ignatieff faces critics at nomination meeting, ''CBC News'', November 30, 2005.
* Michael Valpy. [http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/ArticleNews/TPStory/LAC/20051201/IGNATIEFF01/TPNational/Canada Ignatieff's candidacy heckled, & jeered], ''Globe and Mail'', December 1, 2005.
-
Can This Man Save Canadian Politics?, ''Ottawa Citizen'', December 4, 2005
-
Ignatieff Shakes Off Controversy To Win Riding, ''Toronto Star'', January 24, 2006
-
Michael Ignatieff's Pseudo-Hegelian Apologetics for Imperialism, Edward S Herman, October, 2005
-
Who Are Americans to Think That Freedom Is Theirs to Spread?, Michael Ignatieff, June 26, 2005
Notes
# {{note|www.theglobeandmail.com.654}} {{cite web | title=The Globe and Mail | url=http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/ArticleNews/TPStory/LAC/20051111/COSIMP11/TPColumnists/ | accessdate=November 23 | accessyear=2005 }}
# {{note|www.cbc.ca.655}} {{cite web | title=CBC Radio: Ideas: Massey Lectures 2000 | url=http://www.cbc.ca/ideas/massey/massey2000.html | accessdate=November 23 | accessyear=2005 }}
# {{note|miffed}} {{cite web | title=Liberals miffed by Ignatieff's candidacy | url=http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/Page/document/v4/sub/MarketingPage?user_URL=http://www.theglobeandmail.com%2Fservlet%2Fstory%2FRTGAM.20051128.wxignatieff28%2FBNStory%2FNational%2F&ord=1137440185969&brand=theglobeandmail&force_login=true | accessdate=November 28 | accessyear=2005 }}
{{start box}}
{{succession box|title=
Etobicoke—Lakeshore Member of Parliament for Etobicoke—Lakeshore|
before=
Jean Augustine,
Liberal Party of Canada Liberal|
after=Incumbent|
years=
2006-}}
{{end box}}
Category:1947 births Ignatieff, Michael
Category:Canadian historians Ignatieff, Michael
Category:Canadian novelists Ignatieff, Michael
Category:Canadian philosophers Ignatieff, Michael
Category:Candidates for the Canadian House of Commons Ignatieff, Michael
Category:Harvard alumni Ignatieff, Michael
Category:Liberal Party of Canada MPs Ignatieff, Michael
Category:Liberal Party of Canada MPs Ignatieff,Michael
Category:Living people Ignatieff, Michael
Category:Members of the Canadian House of Commons from Ontario Ignatieff,MichaelCategory:Russian Canadians Ignatieff, Michael
Category:Scottish Canadians Ignatieff, Michael
Category:Trinity College (Canada) alumni Ignatieff, Michael
Category:University of Toronto alumni Ignatieff, Michael
fr:Michael Ignatieff
ja:マイケル・イグナティエフ
*** Shopping-Tip: Michael Ignatieff
