T-SHIRT SLOGANS such as the ‘clash of civilizations‘ and soon after ‘the end of history,’ and after that ‘the world is flat,‘ birthed the astonishing era of Globalization, a time of unprecedented economic cooperation between nation states, which just ended.
Donna had a front row seat to world economic history (this is Don scribbling) as a corporate lawyer, NGO leader, and politician with a consequential energy portfolio. And with her first-hand experience — on-the-ground and in the wild around the world — I asked Donna to reflect and consider that it’s not only the end of the year 2025, but also the end of an era (which Trump 2.0 put the boots to)…
Donna in Borneo, with a seismic crew
What did you learn, Donna?
And how does that contrast with what’s going on now?
DON: Let’s start with Nigeria, a country in the news. On Christmas day, the US launched deadly strikes against militants linked to the Islamic State group in northwestern Nigeria (intelligence for the hit was provided by the Nigerian government). The December 25 strikes were a “Christmas present,” Trump told Politico. Trump’s message? America will do what it takes to protect innocent Christians — in South Africa, in Nigeria…where else?
DONNA: That’s a big question, Don. I did work in Nigeria, in the ’90s, as a VP with Canadian Occidental Petroleum (CanadianOxy). The company aimed to partner with local companies to drill for oil, offshore. It was a big, hairy, audacious goal; and we did it.
But when I first landed in Nigeria, it was tricky:
A. Canada’s foreign minister, Lloyd Axworthy, was lobbying to have Nigeria thrown out of the Commonwealth;
B. Transparency International (TI) ranked Nigeria near the very bottom of the corruption index; and
C. Locals I met with in the Niger Delta, the southern part of the country and largely Christian, bore the burden of oil investment (spills, contaminated water, gas flaring) with little of the upside.
What I learned, on the ground, is that faith and beliefs have always mattered in business and politics, even if the conversation was more subtle decades ago and often obscured by the language of universal values (think: democracy, human rights, transparency).
In Nigeria, there was (and remains) lots to unpack to decipher tribal, ethnic, social, economic, geographic divides, but it’s naive to believe religious beliefs aren’t part of the mix. Trump may be taking religion to the forefront today — no question, his approach is far more overt — but faith and beliefs have always bubbled under the hood.
During a visit to Canada in the late ’90s, a senior Nigerian delegation asked to attend an Anglican church service; I volunteered to escort them.
DONNA: In one of your careers, Don, you were CBC radio’s religion host of Tapestry (or ‘travesty’ as you fondly recall one of your colleagues quipping). What’s your take on what’s happening?
DON: Trump 2.0 has been redeemed as a Christian (similar to when Jesus, on the cross, surrounded by reprobates, offered salvation). So, the Epstein files no longer matter one whit (except to the godless & ‘progressive’ left) because Trump has been sanctified. He is redeemed. Sorry, that’s how it works from that ontology’s perspective (no stranger than Hamas bikers believing Gaza kids killed by Jews are spared the indignity of having a life, and are now with Allah).
Also consider: Russia’s Vladimir Putin restored pride in his country after an alcoholic leadership, exemplified by Boris Yeltsin, that presided over chaos in the scramble to disassemble Soviet assets. As a first order of business, Putin rebuilt Orthodox churches trashed by the Communist regime. No wonder he’s buddy-buddy with Patriarch Kirill, the equivalent of pope of the Russian Orthodox Church, who concurs that Ukraine, led by a Jew and catering to homosexuals has fallen from grace. So, to save Ukraine is to — fill-in-the-blank — it cannot end well within this frame of orthodoxy.
And here’s one more for you to consider as the clock ticks toward 2026: until Mark Carney pulled the plug on the carbon tax, his book, Value(s) (on the hit parade still ) had us, the ‘great unwashed’, believing his ontology, his economics, his leadership was a ‘green’ thing (aka ‘religion’); now, we’re not sure.
DONNA: Those are big thoughts for 2026, Don! Yikes. But I agree with you on the relevance of religion. It’s always there, and more and more, people are willing to talk about it because thinking logical and linear isn’t exactly working for them.
In a way, it’s always been like this. Whether it’s nation-building or reacting to Trump 2.0, things can change quickly and if you truly want to move a bold initiative forward, you need to be prepared for that opening. It’s no easy thing — being optimistic and realistic, at the same time. But it’s not an either/or. You need to remain hopeful & pragmatic. Often, good ideas don’t move forward, despite the best intentions, in timelines you control.
When I worked in Nigeria, our company knew we’d only be allowed (by the locals & federal Ottawa) to operate if we dealt with corruption & the massive flaring of gas in the Niger Delta. So many times, I travelled to remote places in that huge country, to talk to local partners, governments, communities and activists. In the midst of all these pie-in-the-sky plans, Sani Abacha, Nigeria’s strongman president, died (poignantly, in the arms of two prostitutes). And with the 1999 election of a new president, Olusegun Obasanjo, a leader hell-bent on tackling corruption and gas flaring, everyone — including Canada’s Prime Minister Jean Chretien — got on board.
Abacha’s death in 1998 created the conditions for a multi-country gas-flaring initiative, led by Nigeria, to be put into motion. Great idea: figuring out ways to convert flared gas into a marketable and valued commodity, but in a flash of deja vu, I’ve noticed our 1999 gas flaring campaign sounds remarkably akin to this initiative, reported in December 2025!
And President Obasanjo was serious about corruption; in our first conversation, he asked tough questions about the nitty-gritty of CanadianOxy’s operations. I learned, with a lot of effort, it was possible to compel transparency within an individual project…but not industry-wide. Nigeria now ranks 140 of 180 countries on TI’s list; no longer at the very bottom of the index but still, not great. (Canada, incidentally, ranks #15; in 1999, Canada ranked fifth.)
Happy New Year!
A quarter of the century has expired.
Don says, “with Carney, the Liberals have their best conservative prime minister since Lester Pearson.”
What else can possibly go sideways?
Meeting Obasanjo, in Abuja
At CanadianOxy’s Nigerian offices, Lagos
With Canadian PM Chretien in Nigeria
BEYOND POLARITY is the consensus opinion of the writers Donna Kennedy-Glans & Don Hill. If you haven’t already, please subscribe — scroll down on your phone or tablet, or look to the right in the panel beside this post. Enter your email to FOLLOW, a wheel spins, hamsters get fed.