Transitional justice is trendy. After a civil war or political transition, the new government will often announce one or more of a variety of mechanisms for dealing with the past, such as a special tribunal or a truth commission. What outsi… Read More
A Role to Reclaim: Canada as Honest Broker
Posted on Natalie BrenderSpeaking on Middle East issues at an Ottawa synagogue in April, interim Liberal leader Bob Rae noted that the current impasse in peace talks between Israel and Palestinians offers an opening for constructive Canadian engagement. On his r… Read More
Tags: Canadian foreign policy, diplomacy, international mediation, Israel, John Baird, Middle East, Natalie Brender, Palestine, Stephen Harper
Fewer Eyes on the Spies: Going Backwards on Accountability
Posted on Craig ForceseBy now it has been widely reported that the Tory government will be abolishing the Office of the Inspector General of the Canadian Security Intelligence Service. This astonishing development appeared suddenly from the ether, buried in t… Read More
Tags: Canada, Canadian Security Intelligence Service, Craig Forcese, CSIS, intelligence
Archive of CSIS Inspector General Reports
Posted on adminThe Office of the Inspector General of the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) was established through legislation in 1984, in the same Act that created CSIS. The model was the U.S. practice of Inspector Generals, with a revie… Read More
Tags: CSIS, intelligence
Two Priorities for the Canadian Forces
Posted on Roland ParisHow should we define the priorities of the Canadian Forces? Steve Saideman raises this question in his latest post. In my view, the CF should have two overriding missions: first, the protection of Canada’s coastlines and airspace (along w… Read More
Tags: Canadian defence policy, Canadian Forces, Canadian foreign policy, Roland Paris
Foreign Policy Is Not Just Defence
Posted on Roland ParisI welcome the opportunity to kick off this series on the future of the Canadian Forces (CF), not least because the series invites a broader discussion of the role of the military and the Department of National Defence (DND) in Canadian forei… Read More
Tags: Canadian defence policy, Canadian foreign policy, Roland Paris
Boosting Canada’s Latin American Strategy
Posted on Daniel LivermoreThe recent Latin American Summit in Cartagena didn’t generate much media coverage in Canada. It eventually broke down with controversies over drug policy and Cuba, and was even hijacked by a minor scandal involving the U.S. Secret Servic… Read More
Tags: Canadian foreign policy, Caribbean, Central America, Dan Livermore, Latin America, Stephen Harper
Afghan President Hamid Karzai Endorses Ottawa Dialogue
Posted on adminThe Ottawa Dialogue is a Track Two process involving a distinguished group of retired senior officials and military officers from India, Pakistan and Afghanistan. It is led by Peter Jones, Associate Professor at the University of Ottawa… Read More
Tags: Afghanistan, Hamid Karzai, India, Pakistan, Peter Jones
Posted on Wesley Wark
Published in the Ottawa Citizen, April 19, 2012. Reprinted in full with permission. The Conservative government has now run out of wiggle room in the case of Omar Khadr, the son of the notorious Canadian al-Qaeda loyalist, Ahmed Said Khadr… Read More
Tags: Al Qaeda, Canada, Omar Khadr, terrorism, Wesley Wark
“One China” as Floating Signifier: the Benefits of Diplomatic Ambiguity
Posted on Scott SimonWhen Canada recognized the People’s Republic of China (PRC) in 1970, the Joint Communiqué stated, “The Chinese Government reaffirms that Taiwan is an inalienable part of the territory of the People’s Republic of China. The Canadian Gove… Read More
Tags: Canada, China, East Asia, Scott Simon, Taiwan
