Remembering the Happy 90s and the Hope for Europe’s Return0

• Analysis
• October 27, 2021

While Europe had grown accustomed to the idea that catastrophes happen elsewhere, at least since the end of the Second World War, the Covid-19 pandemic was a humbling event. Its blatant socio-economic consequences have added more stress to the cycle …

Every Conversation About the Threat Environment is Important0

• Analysis
• October 26, 2021

The COVID19 pandemic is the greatest single human tragedy of the internet era. We cannot be certain the end is in sight.

The pandemic danger will not end if COVID is finally controlled. Other currently known diseases could surge into …

Talking to the Taliban0

• Analysis
• October 18, 2021

As the Taliban swept across Afghanistan this summer, the capital cities of the provinces fell like a house of cards. Kunduz fell by August 8. Herat, Lashkar Gah, and Helmand followed within a few days. As the news of the …

CIPS Best Blog Award 2021: Public Voting Now Open0

• Analysis
• October 13, 2021

Last year we launched our first ‘Best Blog Award’ competition. While the principal motivations behind the competition were to (a) offer up an engaging experience for you, dear reader and (b) draw some more attention the expertise and hard work …

Retrotopian Desires and Gender in Right-Wing Populism0

• Analysis
• October 10, 2021

Former US President Donald Trump in 2016 justified his plan to build a wall at the United States’ Southern Border to keep out Mexicans (many of whom implied he were rapists). This motif forms part of Trump’s strategy to “Make …

We Must Avoid An Isolated, Impoverished, Unstable Afghanistan0

• Analysis
• October 6, 2021

After the U.S.-led invasion of Afghanistan in late 2001, I consistently argued for a comprehensive, UN-facilitated peace process, encompassing all the internal Afghan parties to the conflict, including the Taliban and the regional and other actors implicated in the conflict, …

What’s Next for Germany After Merkel0

• Analysis
• October 4, 2021

Just days after Canadians took to the polls, Germans, too, elected a new parliament. Having lead Germany for sixteen years, Angela Merkel was not on the ballot again: the end of an era in German politics and the arrival of …

2022 Best Blog Award Winner! 🏆 The Politics of Travel Bans0

• Analysis
• October 3, 2021

I am not a health expert, nor am I especially knowledgeable about COVID 19, but I’m pretty sure I’m not infected by the virus because I still have my sense of smell – and I smell a rat. 

Canada’s decision …

UN Peacekeeping and the Kindleberger Trap0

• Analysis
• September 27, 2021

For close to a decade, the UN has been under the double pressure of a high number of fatalities and pressure from member states to cut costs, particularly from the United States. Since 2013, the UN has not launched a …

How Individuals Matter in UN Peacekeeping Human Rights Policy0

• Analysis
• September 23, 2021

Debates about UN peacekeeping have increasingly come to revolve around the ‘protection of civilians’ (POC) in both policy and academic spheres. These debates are undoubtedly crucial and have important real-life consequences. At the same time, the focus on …

Federal Election: How the Next Government can Build a Stronger Foreign Service0

• Analysis
• September 17, 2021

In the current federal election, foreign policy is getting very little attention, despite Canada’s implication in many global crises and long-standing concern from all directions about Canada’s place in the world, its image and whether or not it …

“C” is for Climate Platform: Grading the Major National Parties’ Climate Plan0

• Analysis
• September 17, 2021

This summer may mark a potential turning point in Canada’s collective climate consciousness: In June, the country witnessed an unprecedented “heat dome” in the Western half of the country. The town of Lytton, BC, hit 49.6°C, completely shattering the country’s …