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Next Year in Jerusalem (And Elsewhere in the Middle East)0
- Analysis
- January 1, 2013
Published in the Globe and Mail, December 28, 2012

A year ago, after noting that making predictions about the Middle East is a foolish endeavour, I made a series of predictions about what might happen there in 2012. To …
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Canadian Foreign Policy Going Astray? Fall Highlights from the CIPS Blog 0
- Analysis
- December 20, 2012
Many sustained themes in the CIPS Blog this term concerned the Harper government’s foreign policy in the Mid-East, at the UN and in its larger vision of Canada’s place among nations.

The semester started off with a critique by CIPS …
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Military Keynesianism: Wrong Then, Wrong Now 0
- Analysis
- December 17, 2012
In November 1906, the Russian Council of State Defence met to discuss its new naval shipbuilding plan, the centrepiece of which was a proposal to build two new battleships for the Baltic Fleet. Presenting the plan, the Naval Minister, Admiral …
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A Footnote on Canada-Iran Relations 0
- Analysis
- December 17, 2012
The Harper government took a decision in late August 2012, to bring Canadian diplomats out of Tehran and expel Iranian diplomats in Ottawa. It was described by some observers as a sudden decision, but it was obviously a measure which …
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Defence Procurement Problems Run Deeper Than the F-35 0
- Analysis
- December 10, 2012
by Philippe Lagassé

Published in the Ottawa Citizen, December 6, 2012

It’s been a rough year for Canadian defence procurement.

This past spring, the Auditor General lambasted the defence department’s lack of due diligence in selecting the F-35 to …
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Succeeding to the Canadian Throne 0
- Analysis
- December 5, 2012
By James W.J. Bowden and Philippe Lagassé

The full article was published in the Ottawa Citizen, December 4, 2012

We learned this week that the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are expecting their first child. The news was greeted …
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Nuclear Power: Chronicle of a Death Foretold 0
- Analysis
- December 3, 2012
Extreme events have the ability to radically change political, moral, technical and other debates that shape what governments say and do. The effect of the 2011 Fukushima disaster on national energy strategies was so far-reaching that it led many to …
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Principle or Prejudice? Canada’s Misguided Denial of Palestinian Statehood 0
- Analysis
- December 3, 2012
Prime Minister Harper tweeted on Saturday that Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu had called to thank him for Canada’s “friendship and principled position this week at the UN”. The friendship may be obvious, but one searches in vain for the principle …
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Keeping the Hard Questions Hard: Reflections on Policy Critique 0
- Analysis
- November 30, 2012
Punditry, like bread, is best consumed fresh—but occasionally, some quickly-skimmed pundit’s lines will lodge in the brain and take on profound depth as they age over the next days or weeks.

That’s what happened when I read a recent article…
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The F-35 is Down but Not Out as Canada’s Next Fighter 0
- Analysis
- November 30, 2012
by Philippe Lagassé

The Harper government recently announced that the National Fighter Procurement Secretariat (NFPS) will be looking at various options to replace Canada’s aging CF-18s. This comes at a time when the news about the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, …
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War with Iran: Real, Horrific Costs, but What Benefits?0
- Analysis
- November 26, 2012
by John Mundy

Published in the Globe and Mail, November 26, 2012

The Munk Debate on the question of war with Iran, to be held on Monday night in Toronto, could not be more timely. With elections finally decided …
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Iran and the Next Obama Term 0
- Analysis
- November 26, 2012
Published in the Ottawa Citizen, November 25, 2012

Iran was an issue in the U.S. election. Now that he has won, President Barack Obama has to decide what to do about it. There are no good options.

Beyond the …
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