The Politics of Travel Bans

• December 2, 2021

I am not a health expert, nor am I especially knowledgeable about COVID 19, but I’m pretty sure I’m not infected by the virus because I still have my sense of smell – and I smell a rat. 

Canada’s decision …

What Would a Rights-Based Approach to Women’s Peace and Security Entail?

• November 24, 2021

In my previous blog, I wrote that there is no evidence for instrumentalist claims about women and peace. Increasing participation of women in peacekeeping, in formal peace negotiations and in local peacebuilding activities does not make these activities more …

Adding Women May Not Help Keep the Peace

• November 23, 2021

Instrumentalist claims about the Women Peace and Security (WPS) agenda do not bear out in the first systematic review on the topic.

Since the adoption of UNSC Resolution 1325 in October 2000, the Women, Peace and Security (WPS) agenda …

China-Canada Dialogue

• November 15, 2021

A recent Globe and Mail story about the “China-Canada Track Two Dialogue” was a rare reveal of the kinds of dialogue that go on quietly around the world.  Even more revealing were comments about the participation and content of that …

Global Migration, Activists-in-Exile, and Canada

• November 8, 2021

Alongside the global existential challenge of Climate Change and the Coronavirus pandemic, which have come to dominate news headlines worldwide, there are the old but growing challenges of involuntary migration.  

The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) reports 82.4 …

An Audacious Suggestion for the new Minister of Foreign Affairs: Help Canadians

• November 8, 2021

Canada’s new Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mélanie Joly, has promised a combination of “humility and audacity” for Canadian foreign policy.  She will inevitably face a barrage of questions relating to important issues critical to Canadian foreign policy – from …

🏆 2021 Best Blog Award Winner❗️ Bidenomics Signals the End of the Third Way in Economic Policy

• November 2, 2021

Biden’s first 100 days signals the end of the Third Way in economic and social policy. With massive investments proposed in social infrastructure and education, a willingness to take a positive-sum approach to budget deficits, and a commitment to fund …

Remembering the Happy 90s and the Hope for Europe’s Return

• October 27, 2021

While Europe had grown accustomed to the idea that catastrophes happen elsewhere, at least since the end of the Second World War, the Covid-19 pandemic was a humbling event. Its blatant socio-economic consequences have added more stress to the cycle …

Every Conversation About the Threat Environment is Important

• October 26, 2021

The COVID19 pandemic is the greatest single human tragedy of the internet era. We cannot be certain the end is in sight.

The pandemic danger will not end if COVID is finally controlled. Other currently known diseases could surge into …

Talking to the Taliban

• October 18, 2021

As the Taliban swept across Afghanistan this summer, the capital cities of the provinces fell like a house of cards. Kunduz fell by August 8. Herat, Lashkar Gah, and Helmand followed within a few days. As the news of the …

CIPS Best Blog Award 2021: Public Voting Now Open

• October 13, 2021

Last year we launched our first ‘Best Blog Award’ competition. While the principal motivations behind the competition were to (a) offer up an engaging experience for you, dear reader and (b) draw some more attention the expertise and hard work …

Retrotopian Desires and Gender in Right-Wing Populism

• October 10, 2021

Former US President Donald Trump in 2016 justified his plan to build a wall at the United States’ Southern Border to keep out Mexicans (many of whom implied he were rapists). This motif forms part of Trump’s strategy to “Make …