In December I noted the story of the disappearance in a remote part of Niger, Africa, of a Canadian diplomat named Robert Fowler and another diplomatic aide. Fowler was a key role player in the controversial Somalia Affair in the 1990s.
I'm not much of a Canadian Forces watcher, but I have a friend who is a former sailor and reservist who used to spit blood when mentioning Fowler's name. It's believed Fowler, as former Deputy Minister in the Dept. of National Defense during Jean Chretien's government, was partly responsible for some of the collapse of morale in the CF. I think the problems our military were having in those years had deep roots, but Fowler definitely played a large part in how the Liberal Party of the day valued (or didn't value) the Forces.
Fowler has been a career diplomat, serving as Canada's ambassador to the United Nations and Italy in recent years.
His disappearance in Africa has been very low on the radar for Canadian media. Not surprising that this is happening, as negotiations for hostages are very sensitive and best handled behind the scenes.
There has been some interesting speculation on the role of France, as well Uranium supplies, radioactive waste, and other details swirling on this story. One thing is very clear, none of us can possibly know what exactly is happening, why Fowler went missing, and whether he will ever be found.
