International Security

NATO: A Liberal Alliance in an Increasingly Illiberal World?
- July 9, 2017
By Alexandra Gheciu

Graduate School of Public and International Affairs, University of Ottawa

In recent weeks, we have witnessed a number of developments designed to signal NATO’s persistent — arguably reinvigorated — role as the key security institution of the …
By Alexandra Gheciu
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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
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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
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Theresa May’s use of “critical” threat level is a double-edged sword
- June 14, 2017
In the wake of the vicious suicide bombing in Manchester, the British government under Prime Minister Theresa May has temporarily suspended an election campaign and done two extraordinary things. It has raised the terrorism threat level to “critical” — something …
By Wesley Wark
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The Politics of Border Security in the Sahel
- May 9, 2017
By Philippe M. Frowd

A casual observer of the Sahel could be forgiven for understanding this region of West Africa as a space of threat: radicalization, terrorism, massive population growth, and irregular migration all grab the headlines. …
By CIPS
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What Joining the Arms Trade Treaty Means for Canada
- April 24, 2017
The government of Canada is about to accede to the Arms Trade Treaty (ATT), the first and only legally binding treaty designed to regulate the multibillion-dollar global arms trade. On April 13, Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland announced the introduction …
By Srdjan Vucetic
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Trump and Syria: After Cruise Missiles, What?
- April 7, 2017
The United States has moved swiftly and dramatically to punish the Syrian regime for its use of chemical weapons against civilians in a recent attack on a rebel-held town in Northern Syria. On Thursday evening, US warships off the coast …
By Wesley Wark
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Illegal but Legitimate? The Consequences of US Action in Syria
- April 7, 2017
The United States has fired missiles at the Syrian military. This is a dramatic escalation in the horrific Syrian conflict. It is also the most legally doubtful use of military force by a NATO state in recent history.

To be …
By Craig Forcese
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One Thing Trump is Right About
- January 20, 2017
Throughout the Cold War, the amount of military violence worldwide grew steadily, reaching a peak in 1992. A major reason was interference by the superpowers in local conflicts. The proxy wars that resulted when the United States and the Soviet …
By Paul Robinson
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What is Montenegro to NATO Now?
- January 13, 2017
Montenegro’s accession to full membership in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) took a major step forward this week as the United States Senate Foreign Relations Committee approved the Balkan country’s membership bid. President-elect Donald Trump has yet to tweet …
By Srdjan Vucetic
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The Liberal Democratic World Order Is Falling Apart
- January 13, 2017
As a new year opens across the globe, the post-Second-World-War order and the global rule of law are losing out to the rule of individual men. From Russia to China to the EU, authoritarian rule is tightening its grip.

In …
By Errol Mendes
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Canada has an Opportunity to be the Voice of Reason on Syria
- January 6, 2017
“‘Does this road lead to Aleppo?’ Your answer can be ‘yes’ or ‘no.’ Your opinion doesn’t make it so. Consult a map before you go!” The question in this poem was first posed by the 13th-century Persian poet, Rumi. If …
By Jabeur Fathally
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