Well said

Louise Arbour speaks out on the risks now facing the developed world:

"A country is as much at risk by the collapse of human rights laws as by terrorism," she told about 600 people at the London School of Economics.

Human rights represent a core identity of democratic societies, she said.

"The most profound insecurity does not emanate from foreign threats, but from internal temptations to let erode the foundations upon which national identity is built. This fear may not be as immediate and palpable as that triggered by a bomb, but it is perhaps deeper."

Poverty, ethnic and racial hatred must all be addressed fairly and not in ways that could create more terrorist sympathizers, Arbour said. "The fight against terrorism ... will not succeed by the implementation of increasingly repressive measures."

I remain far from convinced that Arbour will join the Canadian political scene herself. But her message is one that needs to be heard more often in the public debate - and the NDP would do well to highlight Arbour's discussion next time the Libs and Cons get into an argument over just how many more intrusions Canadians should accept in the name of "security".