Defence and Intelligence

Old-Style Poisoning Sets the Scene for New Cold War
- March 14, 2018
An aging Russian general and former spy is found murdered in a London park, the victim of an assassin’s gun. That’s a story straight out of a John le Carré novel. An aging Russian colonel and former spy is discovered, …
By Wesley Wark
READ MORE
“A parade like the one in France”: A Reflection on Militarism Today
- February 8, 2018
According to The Washington Post, US President Donald Trump has asked the Department of Defense to plan for a military parade later this year. The date is yet to be set, but it is likely to be either July …
By Srdjan Vucetic
READ MORE
Before We Sell Aecon to China, Canada’s National Security Must Come First
- February 8, 2018
“The Chinese are coming” may sound like a melodramatic note from a bygone Cold War, but it has been updated for a new reality of Chinese global economic expansion. Developing and developed economies alike have felt its impact. Now, one …
By Wesley Wark
READ MORE
“Returned Extremist Travellers”: The Small Numbers Problem for Canada, Part 1
- January 18, 2018
On 21 December, the Public Safety department released the government’s “Terrorist Threat to Canada” report for 2017 to no fanfare and little media attention. If you want something to get no attention, send it out just before the Christmas holidays. …
By Wesley Wark
READ MORE
“Returned Extremist Travellers”: The Small Numbers Problem for Canada, Part 2
- January 18, 2018
See Part 1 of this blog here.

The key to a successful response to RETs is knowing who they are and when they will reach your shores. Impossible though this seems, real opportunities for identifying the IS fighter cadre …
By Wesley Wark
READ MORE
Just Don’t Share, Except With Care
- September 26, 2017
The federal government’s Public Safety Department has just released a bombshell ministerial directive dealing with the sensitive issue of intelligence sharing in cases that might involve torture. This issue has long and delicate roots, reaching back to the terrible case …
By Wesley Wark
READ MORE

The Case of Omar Khadr
- July 13, 2017
The Omar Khadr case is again front-page news following the settlement of his longstanding lawsuit against the Canadian government. The news has elicited a wide range of comments from the usual suspects. I was among a small group in Foreign …
By Daniel Livermore
READ MORE
Liberals’ Bold Bill C-59 Would Redraw the National Security Landscape
- June 21, 2017
The Liberal government has finally introduced long-awaited reforms to national security legislation, fulfilling a promise to roll back the Harper government’s anti-terrorism measures and put its own stamp on security policy. These reforms are part of a last-minute surge of …
By Wesley Wark
READ MORE
Defence Review: A Realistic Plan That’s Bound to Disappoint
- June 14, 2017
The Liberal government finally released on June 7, after 18 months of anticipation, its new defence policy. As with any other official policy document, and especially defence policies, it is important to remember that its value is limited. A comparison …
By Thomas Juneau
READ MORE
A New Defence Policy for a New World Disorder?
- June 12, 2017
Today’s world is sometimes described as “post-truth, post-West, post-order.” This week Canada received three maps for navigating it: first the House of Commons foreign policy speech by Minister of Foreign Affairs Chrystia Freeland, then the Defence Policy Review, and finally …
By Srdjan Vucetic
READ MORE
The G7 Disruptor
- June 1, 2017
The G7 is traditionally praised for its solidarity and collegiality, but the May 26–27 summit saw a very fragile partnership with an unapologetic disruptor at the table. The summit, and the NATO summit the day before, had its technical successes, …
By John Sinclair
READ MORE
What to Look for in Canada’s New White Paper on Defence
- April 24, 2017
Canada’s defence policy review statement is slated to be released in May 2017, a week or two before Prime Minister Justin Trudeau travels to Brussels on May 25 for a meeting with the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) heads of …
By Srdjan Vucetic
READ MORE