The following document outlines a high-level strategy for Canada in the Middle East for the coming months.  Underlying this strategy is the conviction that Canada should apply basic principles of decency and humanity in its interactions with other countries.  These principles include: 1) support for international law; 2) an equal legal standard for all; 3) a belief that violence doesn’t lead to solutions; 4) humanitarian concern; 5) support for representative governance; and 6) a sense of urgency in responding to crises.  There is also the underlying assumption in this document that Canada is a wealthy and privileged nation, and that Canada has a responsibility to contribute constructively (and financially) to humanitarian, political and diplomatic crises in the Middle East.