International Security

Watching the Watchers: The National Security and Intelligence Committee of Parliamentarians in Action
- April 1, 2020
The National Security and Intelligence Committee of Parliamentarians (NSICOP) has had a brief and tumultuous life. It was under the gun from the start; once its authorizing legislation was passed in the summer of 2017 it had to get up …
By Wesley Wark
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Meet NATO’s New Champion: President Donald Trump
- December 11, 2019
After spending years belittling and undermining the western world’s principal military alliance, during his recent trip to London to celebrate the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation’s (NATO) 70th birthday, President Trump sounded a different tune. Instead of continuing his attack on …
By Alexandra Gheciu
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Causes and Results of Recent North Korea-US Negotiations
- December 3, 2019
In September 2017 US President, Donald Trump, and North Korean dictator, Kim Jong-un were engaged in a furious interchange of insults and threats. However, less than a year later “Little rocket man” – as Trump called Kim in a speech …
By James Trottier
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Le Canada et le développement démocratique dans le monde
- November 25, 2019
Le Canada affiche un maigre bilan en matière de soutien à la démocratie dans le monde. Ce blogue suggère quelques pistes pour corriger le tir, tel qu’adopter un plan d’action

À plusieurs reprises, tant au Canada qu’à l’étranger, l’ancienne ministre …
By Stéphanie Bacher
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Key Drivers in US-North Korea relations
- November 7, 2019
North Korean and US relations have oscillated between hostility and limited detente for decades. This has only grown more intense in recent years. What are the underlying drivers in US-North Korean relations in the age of Donald Trump and Kim …
By James Trottier
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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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Punishment or Banishment?
- February 22, 2019
So-called jihadi brides are in the news, accused of supporting terrorism by having travelled to ISIS territory to marry ISIS fighters in support of the caliphate. Three Western states are implicated: the UK, the US, and Canada.

UK citizen Shemima …
By Patti Tamara Lenard
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Time to Move Past the Errors of the War on Terror
- December 10, 2018
The aftermath of 9/11 produced many problems in many countries. Canadian police and security agencies made numerous mistakes as followers and participants in an ill-considered American-led War on Terror declared shortly after that tragedy. The evidence in two public inquiries …
By Daniel Livermore
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Why Canada Should Care — a lot — about that UN Security Council seat
- December 3, 2018
Canada will stand for election to the United Nations Security Council in June 2020. Our competitors are Norway and Ireland. Of the three countries, two will win seats on the council and begin their two-year terms in January 2021.

There …
By Roland Paris
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In Defence of Liberal Internationalism?
- July 15, 2018
Alexandra Gheciu, Associate Professor, Graduate School of Public and International Affairs, University of Ottawa, and Associate Director of CIPS

At first glance, the recent — unprecedentedly acrimonious — G7 Summit had a silver lining: it seemed to demonstrate that …
By Alexandra Gheciu
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The (Vanishing?) Conspiracy Theory Part 1: Daniel Jean on the PM’s India Trip
- April 21, 2018
The National Security and Intelligence Adviser to the Prime Minister, Daniel Jean, made a rare appearance before a Parliamentary committee on April 16. Such visits are usually sparked by scandal and controversy, and Jean’s appearance was no different. On the …
By Wesley Wark
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The (Vanishing?) Conspiracy Theory Part 2: Media Reports on the PM’s India Trip
- April 21, 2018
Here is a sample of what the media reported after Daniel Jean’s background brief:

Globe and Mail, February 22, 2018: “…after initially pointing the finger at Mr. Sarai, the Canadian government later spread the blame to ‘factions in India’ …
By Wesley Wark
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