David v David (The Book)

David v David (The Book)
David T. Jones (L) and David Kilgour. courtesy of David T. Jones; Diane Schneider
David Kilgour
Updated:

For over five years, David T. Jones (retired U.S. diplomat) and David Kilgour (retired Canadian Member of Parliament)—aka “David J” and “David K"—have written on-the-one-hand; on-the-other hand, every two weeks columns for The Epoch Times.  We have addressed the major issues of our days, both domestic and foreign. The purpose has been to present challenging commentary and observations employing engaging, imaginative (but mutually respectful) prose.

We have taken a unique approach.  In coordination with our editor, we have systematically determined and agreed upon a topic of the day, sometimes domestic and sometimes foreign policy or international relations.  The topics are such that normally there is room for both a “liberal” and a “conservative” point of view.  To a degree, observations and judgments also reflect our national political attitudes.  However, after agreeing on the topic, there is no further communication between David K and David J—until the columns are published.

Thus, there are no “shouting heads” (even in print).  Occasionally, our views were closely coincidental; mostly they varied either vigorously or tangentially.  Agreement was coincidental rather than calculated.  Sometimes, we were even surprised that we agreed!

Due to the every-two-weeks approach to the columns’ publication and our desire to address “topical” material, there was no concentration on specific subjects for more than short periods (U.S. and Canadian elections).  We returned to some obvious topics in foreign affairs repeatedly (the Middle East, North Korea, and Ukraine) but not in a manner that one could see a specific evolution of or consistency in our thinking reflecting the sporadic every-two-week publication cycle.

We believed, however, that our commentary was more than transient in value.  We believed that in toto it would provide useful material for students of government and politics in the United States and Canada, and observers of international relations wherever.  Primarily, however, we did not want our work to vanish into the “cloud” whereupon everything continues to exist—if you can find it.

We believe that we were successful with the every-two-week approach, but now offer a selected set of our columns along with ancillary, stand-alone articles separately written by David J and David K, but hopefully in the same informative and provocatively engaging manner.  At times we will note ancillary comment on individual columns to show evolving thinking—or if we were just plain wrong in our judgments.

(Baico Publishing)
Baico Publishing
Volume 2
Volume 3
Volume I is devoted to domestic issues:  inter alia elections (Canadian and United States); Quebec and national unity; health care; guns and crime; racism; economics; and some special topics (e.g. women in politics; Canadian senate reform; Justin Trudeau).
Volume II is directed toward foreign affairs/international relations, covering the full range of contemporary global issues. We have paid particular attention to Brexit, human rights (notably egregious violations such as “organ harvesting), the Middle East (Israel, Syria, Turkey), Iran, Russia-Ukraine, and East Asia, particularly North Korea and Beijing and the South China Sea.
Volume III consists of selected “The Davids Stand Alone” pieces published separately with no coordination between David J and David K.  They provide insights on topics seldom addressed by other observers, not fitting the “David vs David” format but reflecting their cogent insights.  We have included more detailed examination of human rights problems, e.g. State Department’s annual human rights report; the United Nations; immigration; and 21st century cultural/sexual attitudes.
David T. Jones is a retired U.S. State Department senior foreign service career officer who has published several hundred books, articles, columns, and reviews on U.S.–Canadian bilateral issues and general foreign policy. During a career that spanned over 30 years, he concentrated on politico-military issues, serving as adviser for two Army chiefs of staff. Among his books is “Alternative North Americas: What Canada and the United States Can Learn from Each Other.”
David Kilgour, a lawyer by profession, served in Canada’s House of Commons for almost 27 years. In Jean Chrétien’s Cabinet, he was secretary of state (Latin America and Africa) and secretary of state (Asia-Pacific). He is the author of several books and co-author with David Matas of “Bloody Harvest: The Killing of Falun Gong for Their Organs.”
Views expressed in this article are opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.
David Kilgour
David Kilgour
Human Right Advocate and Nobel Peace Prize Nominee
David Kilgour, J.D., former Canadian Secretary of State for Asia-Pacific, senior member of the Canadian Parliament and nominee for the Nobel Peace Prize for his work related to the investigation of forced organ harvesting crimes against Falun Gong practitioners in China, He was a Crowne Prosecutor and longtime expert commentator of the CCP's persecution of Falun Gong and human rights issues in Africa. He co-authored Bloody Harvest: Killed for Their Organs and La Mission au Rwanda.
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