Canadian Foreign Policy

The Impacts of the Feminist International Assistance Policy on Implementing Organizations 0
- Analysis
- March 10, 2020
Canada’s feminist international assistance policy aims to achieve sustainable development and peace through gender equality, but it has also helped reshape the aid industry itself, at home and abroad. Has it gone far enough?

Launched in 2017, Canada’s feminist international …
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The NPT Turns 50: A Mid-life Crisis?0
- Analysis
- March 4, 2020
On March 5, the (Nuclear) Non-proliferation Treaty will turn 50-years old. Whether this will be an occasion for celebration or lamentation is an open question. The NPT’s once-in-five-year review conference will take place at UN HQ, April 27-May 22, and …
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Understanding Canada’s Middle East Policy in a Tumultuous 2020 0
- Analysis
- March 3, 2020
The new year began with two major crises in the Middle East, both of which have impacted Canadian policy and interests. First, the assassination of Iranian General Qassem Soleimani by the US in Iraq precipitating the downing of Ukraine Airlines …
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Canada Must Learn Its Own Lessons from Afghanistan 0
- Analysis
- 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 published …
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Priority One: Saving the Canadian Foreign Service 0
- Analysis
- 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. …
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Foreign Aid on the Campaign Agenda 0
- News, Report
- 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 …
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Sending More Canadians Abroad: Innovative or Old-Fashioned Development Assistance?0
- Analysis, Repost, Research
- 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 …
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Sovereignty Served Cold 0
- Analysis
- 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 …
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Dawn of a New Era: Japanese Prime Minister Abe’s Visit to Ottawa 0
- Analysis
- 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 …
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Canadian Perspectives on Global Diplomacy, Part 1: The Lay of the Land 0
- Analysis
- 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 …
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Canadian Perspectives on Global Diplomacy, Part 2: Dealing with the USA 0
- Analysis
- 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 …
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What Canada Can Do About the Rohingya Genocide 0
- Analysis
- 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 …
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