UN Peacekeeping and the Kindleberger Trap

• September 27, 2021

For close to a decade, the UN has been under the double pressure of a high number of fatalities and pressure from member states to cut costs, particularly from the United States. Since 2013, the UN has not launched a …

How Individuals Matter in UN Peacekeeping Human Rights Policy

• September 23, 2021

Debates about UN peacekeeping have increasingly come to revolve around the ‘protection of civilians’ (POC) in both policy and academic spheres. These debates are undoubtedly crucial and have important real-life consequences. At the same time, the focus on …

Federal election: How the next government can build a stronger foreign service

• September 17, 2021

In the current federal election, foreign policy is getting very little attention, despite Canada’s implication in many global crises and long-standing concern from all directions about Canada’s place in the world, its image and whether or not it …

“C” is for climate platform: Grading the major national parties’ climate plan

• September 17, 2021

This summer may mark a potential turning point in Canada’s collective climate consciousness: In June, the country witnessed an unprecedented “heat dome” in the Western half of the country. The town of Lytton, BC, hit 49.6°C, completely shattering the country’s …

New Opportunities for Local Engagement at the Human Rights and Peacebuilding Nexus

• September 15, 2021

Despite ongoing calls from academics, activists, and peacebuilders globally, United Nations and other international peace operations remain largely top-down, directed by the interests of funders rather than based on the needs and knowledge of conflict-affected communities. Yet, while often significantly …

Foreign Aid and the 2021 Federal Elections

• September 14, 2021

The 2021 federal election campaign has paid very little attention to Canadian foreign aid. The main parties’ platforms, however, contain some important signaling about what might lie in store after September 20.

During the last campaign, in 2019, the Conservatives …

Vingt ans après, qu’est-ce que le renseignement aujourd’hui?

• September 14, 2021

Au fil des années, la lutte contre le terrorisme s’est imposée comme un enjeu opérationnel et politique en Europe comme en Amérique du Nord. Le renseignement y joue un rôle important, permettant aux professionnels de la sécurité de revendiquer une …

Middle Powers Reengaging in UN Peace Operations: Strategic Policy Recommendations

• September 13, 2021

Though a debated category, “middle power” countries use multilateralism and peacekeeping to pursue their interests, build relationships and exert influence globally. Recently, however, commitments have shifted toward regional military alliances and “smart”, technical engagements, reducing …

Action for Peacekeeping? Middle Powers, Liberal Internationalism, and the Future of UN Peace Operations

• September 13, 2021

In late May 2021, CIPS scholars hosted a virtual workshop on the topic of middle powers, liberal internationalism, and the changing geopolitical environment around UN peace operations. Workshop participants joined us from six different countries to present original research papers. …

The Fate of Unwanted Art: Poland’s Symbolic Dealing with the Communist Past

• September 7, 2021

Ever since the regime changes in Eastern Europe in 1989 and the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, communist-era monumental art has become a controversial subject. Post-communist states, both the pre-existing ones and those which emerged after the Soviet …

Covid Vaccine Apartheid and the Failure of Global Cooperation

• September 6, 2021

Scientists responded rapidly to the Covid-19 pandemic by developing vaccines effective against infection, serious illness, and death. These medical breakthroughs presented an opportunity to manage the pandemic from a truly global perspective. Yet, it is an opportunity we have thus far …

Re-imagining the future: Is UNESCO on to something?

• August 26, 2021

Most famous for its World Heritage Programme, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) has in recent years championed the idea of futures literacy – the skill and practice of diversifying why and how we imagine the future. …