Home
Analysis

Analysis

An Imperfect Election and New Government Offer Only Glimmers of Hope for Afghanistan 0
- Analysis
- October 8, 2014
The formation of a National Unity Government (NUG) in Afghanistan, ending the long 2014 presidential election process, has been hailed by international leaders as a peaceful and democratic transfer of power. Objective analysts, however, question the merits of such a …
READ MORE
Canada Got It About Right in Iraq 0
- Analysis
- October 7, 2014
Canada decided last week to contribute CF-18 fighter aircraft, surveillance and refuelling planes, and advisers to the U.S.-led coalition bombing the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria. Was this the right decision?

Ideally, foreign policy should first seek to define …
READ MORE
Hillary Clinton’s World 0
- Analysis
- October 1, 2014
As part of the Canada 2020 conference, Hillary Clinton will be giving a lunch-time talk at the Ottawa Convention Center on October 6. The subject of her speech is yet to be announced, but I imagine due attention to “Canada-U.S. …
READ MORE
The Rise and Fall of Arthur Porter 0
- Analysis
- September 30, 2014
Published in the National Post, September 29, 2014

Arthur Porter led a seemingly charmed life, which took him from the impoverished country of his birth, Sierra Leone, to elite Cambridge University, where he earned a medical degree. The young …
READ MORE
Standing Up Versus Marching Forward: Efforts to End Early and Forced (Child) Marriage 0
- Analysis
- September 28, 2014
Together with like-minded partners, Canada will continue to unabashedly champion the rights of, and opportunities for, girls and women around the world. After all—if we don’t speak up for them, who will?

– John Baird, July 2014

Canada’s claims …
READ MORE
Are Canadians Still Liberal Internationalists?0
- Analysis
- September 25, 2014
I recently wrote in the Globe and Mail that we shouldn’t expect to see a warming in Canada’s relations with the United Nations, which have been chilly since the Harper government failed to win a seat for Canada on the …
READ MORE

Canada’s Decade of Diplomatic Darkness 0
- Analysis
- September 24, 2014
Published in the Globe and Mail, Sept. 24, 2014

When Prime Minister Stephen Harper addresses the United Nations General Assembly on Thursday, observers should not expect a warming in Canada’s attitude toward the world body.

Since Mr. Harper failed …
READ MORE
The Outcome of the Scottish Independence Referendum 0
- Analysis
- September 23, 2014
55 percent for ‘no,’ 45 percent for ‘yes.’ It was simultaneously a very close result and a comfortable win for Better Together.

The vote was close if we take a historical perspective on it. Support for independence in Scotland …
READ MORE
Harper Goes to the UN for Domestic Consumption in 2015 0
- Analysis
- September 22, 2014
Published on National Newswatch, September 22, 2014

In the week of September 22, 2014, Stephen Harper will address the UN General Assembly, the global forum that not only he has shunned in his almost nine years of office but …
READ MORE
The Myth of Canada as a Military Free-Rider 0
- Analysis
- September 22, 2014
Published in the Ottawa Citizen on September 18, 2014

How much is enough in Canadian defence spending?

It has never been enough, and it won’t be in the future is the answer.

NATO suggests that states spend two per cent …
READ MORE
Harper at the UN: The Speech He Could (But Won’t) Give 0
- Analysis
- September 21, 2014
In a few days, Prime Minister Stephen Harper will address the UN General Assembly. In an alternate universe, imagine a scenario where he is planning to use the event to announce a fundamental new direction for his foreign policy. Perhaps …
READ MORE
Short-term Hopes for a Unity Government as Prospects for Afghan Democracy Darken 0
- Analysis
- September 17, 2014
Afghanistan’s never-ending election process is continuing past the quarter-year mark as political, economic and security crises loom large on the horizon. A democratic election, providing the opportunity for popular participation in forming a government, also helps build legitimacy for the …
READ MORE