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Analysis

National Security: The Election Issue that Wasn’t 0
- Analysis
- October 16, 2015
It has been a long and tumultuous federal election campaign in Canada, now coming to an end with a bang not a whimper. Whatever the result on October 19, one promised election ground was largely, and strangely, vacated by all …
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A Backwards Decade on Foreign Aid 0
- Analysis
- October 15, 2015
A decade of Conservative rule has had a profound impact on Canadian foreign aid — and mostly for the worst.

With respect to aid level, we are back where we started. The Harper government initially embraced the Liberals’ goal of
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Why Does the Reconciliation between Israel and Military Intellectuals Matter?0
- Analysis
- October 14, 2015
By Philippe Beaulieu-Brossard

Appointing a new Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) Commissioner rarely stirs up controversy, but in Israel it can easily turn into a media storm. This might not come as a surprise. Israel has an assault rate of …
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Clarifying the Caretaker Convention 0
- Analysis
- October 13, 2015
by Philippe Lagassé

What is the caretaker convention? When does a period of caretaker government begin? When does it end?

These questions should be pretty simple to answer. Shortly after the federal election began, the Privy Council Office (PCO) released …
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How Ottawa Fails to Meet the Security Challenge 0
- Analysis
- October 13, 2015
By Kent Roach and Craig Forcese

In responding to last year’s terrorist attacks, Prime Minister Stephen Harper promised his government would not over-react, but also would not under-react, to the ISIS terrorist threat. Unfortunately his government proceeded to do
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Serious Climate Action Requires Emission Reduction Targets 0
- Analysis
- October 13, 2015
Justin Trudeau has announced that the Liberals “won’t set a specific emissions target” for greenhouse gas emissions to address climate change. His reasoning is that, “what we need is not ambitious political targets. What we need is an ambitious plan …
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North Korea: Testing China’s Patience 0
- Analysis
- October 7, 2015
^{Postcard from North Korea
Photo: John Pavelka, Creative Commons License}

Anniversaries have always been important in Socialist countries.

For the people, it means a day off from the humdrum of workaday life with maybe an extra ration of meat or …
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Quebec Rethinks Its Approach to Foreign Relations 0
- Analysis
- October 2, 2015
The Quebec government of Premier Philippe Couillard has announced some of the deepest cuts ever to one of the crown jewels of the national branding of the province abroad – its Ministry of International Relations. Nearly a quarter of its …
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Canada Would Be Foolish Not to Join the TPP 0
- Analysis
- October 1, 2015
A few days ago, cows and their owners were marching in front of Parliament in Ottawa. They were protesting against the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), which, they argued, would cause the demise of the dairy industry’s supply management regime. Last week, …
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Making Peace in a Divided World: New Roles for the United Nations?0
- Analysis
- October 1, 2015
There is no more annoying phrase in discussions of international affairs than “If the United Nations did not exist, we would have to invent it!” It is certainly true that the world urgently needs an effective collective security organization …
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Transition Memos Show Foreign Ministry Is Doing Its Job 0
- Analysis
- September 30, 2015
A series of foreign ministry memos, leaked to the media in recent days, offer an unflattering assessment of Canada’s declining international influence and reputation. They are apparently draft “transition” documents, which the federal bureaucracy prepares before every election.

Some defenders
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The Munk Leaders’ Debate: Opportunity Missed 0
- Analysis
- September 30, 2015
The Munk Leaders’ Debate was supposed to be about foreign policy, but at many times it was really about a three-man horse race. That race was about which progressive horse could finish first, or whether the conservative horse would end …
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