Canadian Foreign Policy

Canada Must Learn Its Own Lessons from Afghanistan
- December 20, 2019
In 2003, I saw optimism pervading the country. I saw it on the faces of men, women and children. But that is no longer the case. What should Canada learn for future massive-scale aid programs?

Recently, the Washington Post …
By Nipa Banerjee
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Priority One: Saving the Canadian Foreign Service
- November 28, 2019
The Canadian foreign service is in desperate condition. If the Trudeau government hopes to achieve its foreign policy objectives, its first priority should be a wholesale reform of Global Affairs Canada that focuses on the rejuvenation of the foreign service. …
By Daniel Livermore
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Foreign Aid on the Campaign Agenda
- October 8, 2019
While one federal party leader pledges to cut foreign aid, others fail to agree to meet Canada’s long-standing commitments. In the run-up to the 2019 elections, international assistance finally did earn a place on the campaign agenda. However, all major …
By Stephen Brown
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The Remarkable Consistency of Canada’s Foreign Policy
- September 25, 2019
Canada’s foreign policy is driven primarily by geopolitics, and its overriding concern is to remain close – but not too close – to its southern neighbour.

At the victory rally on election night 2015 the leader of Canada’s federal Liberal
…
By Philip Leech-Ngo
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Sending More Canadians Abroad: Innovative or Old-Fashioned Development Assistance?
- September 12, 2019
Why is the Canadian government trotting out such an old-fashioned approach to aid?

Does the world need more Canadians? Global Affairs Canada recently announced a new initiative to send more Canadians abroad to help developing countries fight poverty. The new …
By Stephen Brown
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Sovereignty Served Cold
- September 5, 2019
The Canadian government depends radically on the permanent population of Inuit and other Northerners … but, those Northern communities live with less.

I was on the lookout for Russians when I should have been looking for icebergs. As part of …
By Mark Salter
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Dawn of a New Era: Japanese Prime Minister Abe’s Visit to Ottawa
- May 13, 2019
A new era is dawning in Japan. With the abdication of Emperor Akihito on 30 April and the ascension of his Crown Prince Naruhito to the Chrysanthemum Throne on 1 May, calendars will change from the 31^st year of …
By Scott Simon
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Canadian Perspectives on Global Diplomacy, Part 1: The Lay of the Land
- May 6, 2019
This 2-part CIPS blog is based on my guest presentation at a seminar for graduating trainee diplomats at the Institute of International Relations (IIR), University of West Indies, Trinidad, on 20 March 2019. The session was led jointly with Professor …
By John Sinclair
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Canadian Perspectives on Global Diplomacy, Part 2: Dealing with the USA
- May 6, 2019
This 2-part CIPS blog is based on my guest presentation at a seminar for graduating trainee diplomats at the Institute of International Relations (IIR), University of West Indies, Trinidad, on 20 March 2019. The session was led jointly with Professor …
By John Sinclair
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What Canada Can Do About the Rohingya Genocide
- May 1, 2019
By Payam Akhavan and John Packer

Twenty-five years ago, as young UN human rights officers working together in Geneva, we witnessed how the world watched and did nothing as close to a million Rwandan Tutsis were exterminated. Brimming with idealism …
By CIPS
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“If you want to kill me, please kill me quick”
- April 12, 2019
The images, and voices, from Libya’s migrant detention centres are sickening. An online blog posted a letter written by an anonymous refugee from Darfur, detained in Libya. “RS” writes of having left his village, destroyed by the Janjaweed, to find …
By Patti Tamara Lenard
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Finding Asylum Just Got Harder
- April 12, 2019
Refugee advocates in Canada breathed a sigh of relief in October of 2015. Immediately upon the election of the Liberals under the leadership of Justin Trudeau, the doors opened to thousands of Syrian refugees. Tens of thousands of Syrians have …
By Patti Tamara Lenard
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