Michael Ignatieff

Introduction

Ignatieff is the son of the Canadian diplomat George Ignatieff and Alison Grant, and the grandson of the Count Paul Ignatieff, which was the last Minister for education under the Tsar of Russia, one of the only individuals to have succeeded in fleeing in front of the Bolsheviks. Its antécédants Canadian includes his/her large maternal father, George Monro Grant, which was president of the Université Queen' S. His/her uncle is the political philosopher George Grant (1918-1988). Its back grandfather is the count Nikolay Pavlovich Ignatyev, the Russian Minister of Interior Department under the Tsar Alexandre III. In its book The Russian album , Ignatieff explores the importance of the collective memory and the ancestral obligation in the context of its own family history.

Ignatieff studied with the Upper Canada College, a prestigious private school with Toronto, for then studying the history with the College Trinity of the Université of Toronto. It is at that time that Ignatieff met his/her colleague (and future Prime Minister for Ontario) Bob Rae. Both are since friends. Of 1965 with 1968, Ignatieff worked with the newspaper The Globe and Mail of Toronto. It poursuiva its studies until obtaining a Doctorate in history of the University Harvard in 1976. He taught then during two years at the University of the Colombia-British, of 1976 with 1978. It receipt thereafter a position of research in King' S College, the University of Cambridge, 1978 with 1984.

Ignatieff usually speaks several languages, of which French, English and Russian. Until 2005, he was professor and director of the Carr Center for Human Rights Policy with the Université Harvard John F. Kennedy School off Government . It has also seven honorary doctorates with its credit. The August 26th 2005, it announced that it left Harvard to direct the Université of Toronto as a chancellor of the policies of rights of the person.

Michael Ignatieff is married with his second wife, Zsuzsanna Zsohar (of Hungarian origin ). It also has two children, Théo and Sophie, of its first marriage.

The Ignatieff patronym means ignatien in Russian, and refers to Ignace de Loyola, which is recognized in the Russian orthodoxe Église.

International recognition

Ignatieff is an expert recognized on the questions of the the Middle East and the Balkans and advised several Heads of States on these questions. On the other hand, he is recognized more academically for the rights of the person, and he wrote several work concerning the ethnic conflicts and the genocide. Moreover, he wrote much on the universal concept of rights of the person and the dangers of nationalism during the time after the cold war.

Ignatieff writes also fiction, its more recent publication being Charlie Johnson in the Flames . It was also selected to deliver the Massey conferences, in 2000.

Discusses

It supported the invasion of Iraq in 2003. In an article of NewYork Times, " The Burden" (the burden), he speaks about the weight which weighs on the United States to impose by the force their vision of the democracy on the rest of the world. He is against the Protocol of Kyoto. Its remarks on torture are considered ambiguous. Its remarks on the bombardment of Cana in July 2006 are contradictory.

Its political career

In January 2005, the biographer and journalist Peter Newman suggested that Ignatieff would be an ideal candidate with the cheffery of the Liberal party of Canada after Paul Martin is withdrawn as chief, which it did after the election of 2006. Ignatieff was addressed to the biennial convention of the party in Ottawa, in March 2005.

Discusses on its nomination

After several months of rumors, Ignatief confirms in November 2005 that he will be candidate with the nomination of the Liberal party of Canada for the federal election of 2006. After several days of speculation in the media of the area, it chooses the district of Etobicoke-Lakeshore, with Toronto, the advertisement of the withdrawal of the political life of the outgoing deputy Jean Augustine.

Certain members of local liberal association, of Ukrainian origin , opposed its candidature, disputing the positions of Ignatieff on the independence of this country in its work Blood and Belonging: Journeys into the New Nationalism , published in 1993.

In its work the author known as to take the Ukraine with the serious one, but he adds:

"I cuts reasons to take the Ukraine seriously indeed. Goal, to Be honest, I' m having disorder. Ukrainian independence entreat up images off peasant embroidered shirts, the nasal whine off ethnic instruments, phony Cossacks in cloaks and boots… ".

Although the partisans of Ignatieff consider that this comment was quoted out-context and add that the author precisely denounces these stereotypes in the same chapter as the quoted extract, this explanation did not satisfy part of the Ukrainian community of its district which bruyamment chahuté its nomination.

Victoire

In spite of the controversy surrounding her nomination and the opposition of certain liberals to Etobicoke-Lakeshore, Michael Ignatieff was able to gain it against her rivals and got a seat with the House of Commons of Canada. It gained its elections by a margin of a little more than 5000 votes.

Leadership

Anecdote

According to Jane Taber of the daily newspaper the Earth and Email:

In spring 2005, Andre Boisclair, ex chief of the Left Québécois, received its diploma of the Kennedy School off Government in Harvard, where Michael Ignatieff taught. When Mr. Boisclair received his diploma, Ignatieff went to tighten the hand to him. " Then, do you turn over on your premise? " , asked him Ignatieff (the former chief of the PQ, Bernard Landry, had just surprised everyone by its resignation). " I think that yes, I will see you over there? " , Boisclair questioned it, which had been useful as minister in the old government pequist. " One verra" , Dr. Ignatieff answered him then.

Random links: