Home
Analysis

Analysis

A Good Day for International Criminal Justice?0
- Analysis
- May 17, 2012
by Rachel Kerr

May 16, 2012 was an auspicious day for international criminal justice for two reasons. First, the Special Court for Sierra Leone heard statements from the Prosecutor and from former Liberian President Charles Taylor at his sentencing hearing. …
READ MORE
Transitional Justice As Subterfuge 0
- Analysis
- May 10, 2012
Transitional justice is trendy. After a civil war or political transition, the new government will often announce one or more of a variety of mechanisms for dealing with the past, such as a special tribunal or a truth commission.

What …
READ MORE
A Role to Reclaim: Canada as Honest Broker 0
- Analysis
- May 8, 2012
Speaking on Middle East issues at an Ottawa synagogue in April, interim Liberal leader Bob Rae noted that the current impasse in peace talks between Israel and Palestinians offers an opening for constructive Canadian engagement. On his recent trips to …
READ MORE
Fewer Eyes on the Spies: Going Backwards on Accountability 0
- Analysis
- May 8, 2012
By now it has been widely reported that the Tory government will be abolishing the Office of the Inspector General of the Canadian Security Intelligence Service. This astonishing development appeared suddenly from the ether, buried in the government’s now notorious …
READ MORE
Archive of CSIS Inspector General Reports 0
- Analysis
- May 7, 2012
The Office of the Inspector General of the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) was established through legislation in 1984, in the same Act that created CSIS. The model was the U.S. practice of Inspector Generals, with a review and compliance …
READ MORE
Two Priorities for the Canadian Forces 0
- Analysis
- May 3, 2012
How should we define the priorities of the Canadian Forces? Steve Saideman raises this question in his latest post. In my view, the CF should have two overriding missions: first, the protection of Canada’s coastlines and airspace (along with …
READ MORE

Foreign Policy Is Not Just Defence 0
- Analysis
- April 30, 2012
I welcome the opportunity to kick off this series on the future of the Canadian Forces (CF), not least because the series invites a broader discussion of the role of the military and the Department of National Defence (DND) …
READ MORE
Boosting Canada’s Latin American Strategy 0
- Analysis
- April 30, 2012
The recent Latin American Summit in Cartagena didn’t generate much media coverage in Canada. It eventually broke down with controversies over drug policy and Cuba, and was even hijacked by a minor scandal involving the U.S. Secret Service. But it …
READ MORE
Afghan President Hamid Karzai Endorses Ottawa Dialogue 0
- Analysis
- April 27, 2012
The Ottawa Dialogue is a Track Two process involving a distinguished group of retired senior officials and military officers from India, Pakistan and Afghanistan. It is led by Peter Jones, Associate Professor at the University of Ottawa’s Graduate School …
READ MORE
What to Do With Khadr 0
- Analysis
- April 20, 2012
Published in the Ottawa Citizen, April 19, 2012. Reprinted in full with permission.

The Conservative government has now run out of wiggle room in the case of Omar Khadr, the son of the notorious Canadian al-Qaeda loyalist, Ahmed Said …
READ MORE
“One China” as Floating Signifier: the Benefits of Diplomatic Ambiguity 0
- Analysis
- April 17, 2012
When Canada recognized the People’s Republic of China (PRC) in 1970, the Joint Communiqué stated, “The Chinese Government reaffirms that Taiwan is an inalienable part of the territory of the People’s Republic of China. The Canadian Government takes note of …
READ MORE
Canada and the Landmine Issue, Twenty Years On 0
- Analysis
- April 14, 2012
April 4 came and went this year with virtually no national mention of the international ban on antipersonnel landmines, which was one of Canada’s most significant triumphs in the area of ‘niche diplomacy’. International Mine Awareness Day, marked annually on …
READ MORE