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The Truth About Canada’s Mission in Afghanistan 0
- Analysis
- March 5, 2014
Canada’s military mission in Afghanistan officially ends this month. It began in 2001 with the dispatch of a small number of special operations troops to oust the Taliban and punish al-Qaeda militants in wake of the 9/11 attacks, and grew
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Reaping the Whirlwind in Ukraine 0
- Analysis
- March 4, 2014
The Russian media had a good laugh on March 2 at the expense of U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, who denounced Russia by saying, “[y]ou just don’t invade another country on a phony pretext in order to assert your …
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In Dispute with Muslim Organization, PMO Wrong to Allege Skeletons in Closet 0
- Analysis
- February 27, 2014
Published in the Toronto Star, February 26, 2014

Never forget: these are charged words for Canada’s ethnic or religious groups when it comes to keeping alive the memory of historical atrocities “back home.” But they’re also charged words, in …
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NATO, China and Afghanistan at the Security-Development Nexus 0
- Analysis
- February 24, 2014
By Kirsten Van Houten and Benjamin Zyla

Since the U.S.-led invasion that toppled the Taliban in 2001, NATO has provided extensive security and development assistance to Afghanistan. While NATO is slated to withdraw from Afghanistan later this year, the international …
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Shale Gale or Shale Fail? Will North America’s Leaders Miss the Boat on Energy?0
- Analysis
- February 21, 2014
by Monica Gattinger

At the North American Leaders Summit in Mexico this week, Prime Minister Harper, President Obama and President Pena Nieto committed to tasking their respective energy ministers to meet in 2014 to “discuss opportunities to promote common strategies …
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Aid Budgets or Poverty Reduction? Worry About the Right Priority First 0
- Analysis
- February 20, 2014
The federal government announced a 7.5% cut in Canada’s Overseas Development Assistance (ODA) budget for the fiscal year 2012. In addition, former CIDA funds not spent (and thus lapsed) represented close to 10% of CIDA’s aid budget for 2012. The …
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Time for an Open Debate on the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement 0
- Analysis
- February 18, 2014
On February 22, trade ministers from the 12 countries negotiating the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) agreement will meet in Singapore. Reaching a final signed agreement is unlikely, given U.S. Congressional resistance to ‘fast tracking’ President Obama’s authority to sign off on …
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Off to Tel Aviv: The Latest Strange Diplomatic Appointment 0
- Analysis
- February 12, 2014
Shortly before the Prime Minister’s January trip to the Middle East, the Harper Government announced its choice to fill Canada’s long-vacant ambassadorial chair in Tel Aviv. Vivian Bercovici—a Toronto lawyer, occasional commentator on Israeli affairs and backroom Tory loyalist—is the …
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Has Canada Finally Discovered Digital Diplomacy?0
- Analysis
- February 7, 2014
After years of sitting on the sidelines, Canada finally seems to be taking social media seriously as tool of diplomacy. Foreign Minister John Baird delivered a speech on Friday—appropriately in Silicon Valley, the world’s capital of technological innovation—embracing digital diplomacy …
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Diplomatic Prospects for Supporting Democracy Development 0
- Analysis
- February 5, 2014
By Jeremy Kinsman, University of California and Ryerson University

Jeremy Kinsman will be speaking at the CIPS panel ‘Is Democracy Rising or Receding?’ on February 14, 2014.

From its inception in 2007, the international project A Diplomat’s Handbook for …
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When Policy Coherence is a Bad Thing 0
- Analysis
- February 3, 2014
In July 2013, when the government abolished the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) and transferred its functions to the newly renamed Department of Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development (DFATD), it did so mainly in the name of policy coherence. The …
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Four Myths About Russia 0
- Analysis
- February 3, 2014
The forthcoming Olympic Games in Sochi have served as a hook for Western commentators to indulge in a prolonged round of Russia-bashing. A collection of negative preconceptions about Russia continues to dominate discussions of that country. Four of them are …
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