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Alexandra Gheciu
Associate Professor, Graduate School of Public and International Affairs, and Associate Director, CIPS
Canada's leading centre for analysis and debate of international affairs.
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Author's Posts
Meet NATO’s New Champion: President Donald Trump
- Analysis
- December 11, 2019
After spending years belittling and undermining the western world’s principal military alliance, during his recent trip to London to celebrate the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation’s (NATO) 70th birthday, President Trump sounded a different tune. Instead of continuing his attack on …
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A new Cold War?
- Analysis
- November 19, 2019
Thirty years on from the fall of the Berlin Wall, the world is a very different place. The liberal world order that appeared triumphant in 1989 faces unprecedented challenges – including renewed hostility from Russia – but also from a …
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The Battle over Europe’s Future
- Analysis
- February 5, 2019
On January 22, France and Germany signed the Treaty of Aachen, a document designed to reaffirm their friendship and enhance co-operation in areas such as foreign policy, defense, trade, cross-border mobility, and research. The ceremony, in the historic coronation …
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In Defence of Liberal Internationalism?
- Analysis
- July 15, 2018
Alexandra Gheciu, Associate Professor, Graduate School of Public and International Affairs, University of Ottawa, and Associate Director of CIPS
At first glance, the recent — unprecedentedly acrimonious — G7 Summit had a silver lining: it seemed to demonstrate that …
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No Easy Route to Nuclear Disarmament
- Analysis
- October 11, 2017
Last week, the Nobel Peace Prize was awarded to a campaign group seeking a global ban on nuclear arms. The award to the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN) surprised many observers, particularly in a year when the architects …
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NATO: A Liberal Alliance in an Increasingly Illiberal World?
- Analysis
- July 9, 2017
By Alexandra Gheciu
Graduate School of Public and International Affairs, University of Ottawa
In recent weeks, we have witnessed a number of developments designed to signal NATO’s persistent — arguably reinvigorated — role as the key security institution of the …
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Maintaining Transatlantic Unity in the Security Realm?
- Analysis
- November 3, 2016
At a recent meeting of NATO defense ministers, it was announced that the allies are advancing with plans to deploy thousands of troops and military equipment in the Baltics and Poland. At the July 2016 NATO summit in Warsaw, Canada, …
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What Next for Libya?
- Analysis
- May 19, 2016
In a show of unity that is rare these days, on May 16, UN Security Council members agreed to help Libya’s fledgling Government of National Accord (GNA) to build up its firepower against the so-called Islamic State (IS) and other …
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The Forgotten Vision of Co-operative Security from Vancouver to Vladivostok
- Analysis
- February 8, 2016
A few days ago, U.S. Defense Secretary Ashton Carter announced that advanced weaponry, a reinvestment in Europe, and an overall focus on great-power rivalry would define the final defense budget of the Obama Administration. The proposed budget is designed to …
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Reconcilable differences? Rethinking NATO’s Strategy
- Analysis
- November 16, 2015
By Alexandra Gheciu
NATO has just announced that it will soon put forward proposals for a new “southern strategy,” in response to growing instability in the Middle East and Russia’s growing military presence south of the Bosphorus. According to the …
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Reaching New Levels of Human Insecurity
Published by the CDA Institute, June 30, 2015
According to the Global Trends Report released by the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) on 18 June 2015, the forcible displacement of people is at the highest level ever recorded. …
READ MOREIn Search of Enhanced Defence Cooperation in Europe
On April 9, Sweden, Norway, Finland, Denmark and Iceland agreed on closer defense ties and increased solidarity with the Baltic states, in a move designed to enhance regional security through deterrence. In a joint declaration, the defense ministers of four …
READ MORE25 Years After the Fall of the Iron Curtain, a Changing Face of Europe
On December 1, Herman Van Rompuy stepped down as European Council President, the post that oversees meetings of the 28 EU leaders. In the past, that role was held on a rotating basis, but it became permanent under the Lisbon …
READ MORETime to Stand Up for Democracy and Human Rights in Ukraine
These days, it is hard to imagine that a decision concerning the European Union can spark a riot. To the majority of EU citizens, the idea of taking to the barricades to support Brussels would seem absurd. The union, seriously …
READ MOREDoes Anyone Remember Iraq?
On October 5, a suicide bomber blew himself up among a crowd of Shiite pilgrims in Baghdad, and another detonated his explosives inside a cafe north of the capital—the deadliest of several attacks across Iraq that day, killing at least …
READ MOREA New Chapter in US-China Relations?
U.S. President Barack Obama and Chinese leader Xi Jinping have just concluded a two-day summit, which was described by U.S. officials as positive and constructive. The summit, held at the Annenberg Retreat at Sunnylands, just outside Palm Springs, was the …
READ MORESyria: The Tragedy Continues
It is unfortunate—though not surprising—that a meeting in Istanbul this weekend revealed persisting divisions among governments who oppose the regime of President Assad. The U.S., European and Arab states that constitute the group called the Friends of Syria do agree …
READ MOREThe “Outstanding Leader” Vows Strong Action: Back to the Future in North Korea
Just as the international community was beginning to enjoy a new sense of optimism about North Korea following the ascension to power of Kim Jong-un, last week we were unceremoniously brought back to an old script. Pyongyang launches a …
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An Intervention Ahead in Mali?
These days, when Western politicians or analysts discuss the possibility and likely consequences of an international intervention, they tend to refer to Syria. This is understandable, given the gravity and complexity of the crisis unfolding there. But the focus on …
READ MOREWill the ‘Future of Europe’ Group Save the EU?
…READ MORE“The European Union has reached a decisive juncture. The ongoing sovereign debt crisis and the ever accelerating process of globalization pose an unprecedented dual challenge for Europe. We will have to master it if we want our continent to enjoy
Towards an International Agreement on Syria?
Following a long conversation between Presidents Obama and Putin at the recent G20 Summit in Mexico, U.S. officials claimed that progress had been made in identifying areas where U.S. and Russian interests coincide. “We agreed that we need to see …
READ MOREStepping Up the Fight Against Somali Pirates
On March 23, the European Union announced that it would expand its anti-piracy mission, Atalanta, to include for the first time the Somali coast itself and waterways inside the country. The statement said the EU would be working with Somalia’s …
READ MOREBad News from Afghanistan
These days, statements issued by NATO and U.S. officials tend to portray an optimistic picture of the situation in Afghanistan, suggesting that the insurgency remains on the back foot, that the transition to Afghan lead (the process by which security …
READ MORECIPS Launches Security Studies Network with Inaugural Lecture
CIPS is delighted to announce the launch of the Security Studies Network (SSN), the creation of which reflects the great strength of the University of Ottawa as a centre for the study of national and international security. The SSN – …
READ MOREThe End of the European Dream?
In a recent article in Foreign Policy, the Brussels-based journalist Gareth Harding argues that “the European Union was built on the myth that we are one people with one common destiny”. In his view, “[w]e are now discovering that …
READ MOREMissiles and Mistrust in Europe
At the NATO Lisbon Summit in 2010, the U.S. and its allies expressed the hope that Russia would become a partner in a new missile defense system designed to protect Europe from a nuclear-armed ‘rogue’ state such as Iran. Those …
READ MORENATO: Power and Principles in the Contemporary Era
On Oct. 27, the United Nations Security Council voted to end international military operations in Libya as of November 1. For NATO, the completion of its mission in Libya represents a rare clear-cut victory. As Michael Clarke, director of the …
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