Une diplomatie verbeuse0

• Analysis
• October 7, 2012

par Justin Massie

Published in La Presse, October 5, 2012

Lors de son dernier discours aux Nations unies, le ministre John Baird a exposé les fondements de la politique internationale de son gouvernement. Elle repose sur deux piliers: une …

Should Canada Promote Religious Freedom?0

• Analysis
• October 2, 2012

Guest contributor: ELIZABETH SHAKMAN HURD, Associate Professor of Political Science, Northwestern University.

In the United States, religious freedom is described as the ‘first freedom’: a fundamental human right and a sine qua non of democratic politics. Americans, we are …

John Baird on Human Rights in Foreign Policy0

• Analysis
• September 27, 2012

John Baird’s speech on September 14 at the Montreal Council on Foreign Relations may be long on benign self-congratulation, which goes down well when speaking to Canadian audiences. But at least it sheds some light on “the untold story of …

John Baird’s Journey0

• Analysis
• September 24, 2012

In a speech last week to the Montreal Council on Foreign Relations, Foreign Minister John Baird set out the priority he attaches to human rights in Canadian foreign policy. That Minister Baird prioritizes human rights is hardly new: his speeches …

Going Along to Get Along? Canada Soft-Pedals Russia’s Role in Syria0

• Analysis
• June 16, 2012

Why is Canada giving Russia an easy ride on Syria? Moscow has been running diplomatic interference for Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and providing his regime with weapons. Meanwhile, Assad’s loyalists have escalated their attacks on Syrian civilians, including women and …

John Baird: The Next Minister of National Defence?0

• Analysis
• June 12, 2012

I don’t normally follow Canadian politics closely enough to play the parlour game of predicting the winners and losers of the next cabinet shuffle, but sometimes you get a hunch worth wagering on, and this is one of those …

Canada’s Military: A Solution in Search of a Problem0

• Analysis
• May 29, 2012

If we found a cure for cancer, would we then ask our scientists to invent a new disease so that oncologists had something to do? Something rather similar is being proposed for the Canadian Forces. A consensus has formed that …

Oversold and Underwhelming: John Baird’s First Year on the Job0

• Analysis
• May 22, 2012

Almost one year to the day after his appointment as Minister of Foreign Affairs, John Baird was asked in an interview on CBC Radio’s The House on Saturday to define his foreign policy. “More smart power, less soft power,” he …

Two Priorities for the Canadian Forces0

• 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 …

Foreign Policy Is Not Just Defence0

• 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) …

Boosting Canada’s Latin American Strategy0

• 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 …