The “Outstanding Leader” Vows Strong Action: Back to the Future in North Korea0

• Analysis
• January 28, 2013

Just as the international community was beginning to enjoy a new sense of optimism about North Korea following the ascension to power of Kim Jong-un, last week we were unceremoniously brought back to an old script. Pyongyang launches a …

The Rise of the Israeli Middle0

• Analysis
• January 27, 2013

The Israeli election was that rarest of things: a real surprise. We had been assured for weeks that Prime Minister Netanyahu’s right-wing coalition would make gains. But the big winner was the political centre.

Why were we so surprised? Perhaps …

Defending Canada’s Human Rights and Rule of Law Legacy0

• Analysis
• January 21, 2013

2013 will see the UN and many countries around the world celebrating the 65^th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. It should also be the year that we celebrate a Canadian law professor, John Humphrey, who as …

Mulling Over Mali0

• Analysis
• January 15, 2013

To those of us deeply skeptical of the deployment of Western military force in the developing world, the French intervention in Mali in recent days poses something of a dilemma. It appears to be legally and militarily justified, and enjoys …

A Better Canadian Growth Strategy: Both Inclusive and Effective0

• Analysis
• January 14, 2013

Canada is struggling to find a viable export-led growth strategy. So far we are surviving the global financial crisis due to our conservative regulatory framework. But there was no superior Harper-Flaherty economic wisdom or even Bank of Canada Governor Carney …

Non-State Actors Who Bring Nations Closer0

• Analysis
• January 7, 2013

Published in The Hindu, January 5, 2013

A controversy erupted recently over Track Two discussions regarding the Siachen issue. “Track Two Diplomacy” is a term with which much mythology is associated. Some proponents believe that it can cut through …

Canadian Foreign Policy Going Astray? Fall Highlights from the CIPS Blog0

• 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 …

Military Keynesianism: Wrong Then, Wrong Now0

• 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 …