US Foreign Policy

The Right Family: The Personal is Geopolitical
- December 14, 2020
In the wake of Mr. Biden’s election victory, the foreign policy commentariat is brimming with optimism. With a committed internationalist in the White House and a woman as Vice-President, the world stage seems set for a return to happier times. …
By Rita Abrahamsen
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Five Eyes Minus One: Thinking the Unthinkable
- October 19, 2020
The US National Security Agency (NSA) is by far the largest and best-resourced of the Five Eyes SIGINT partners. The four other members of the partnership, the UK’s Government Communications Headquarters (GCHQ), Canada’s Communications Security Establishment (CSE), the Australian Signals …
By Bill Robinson
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What’s at Stake for the World? Global Perspectives on the 2020 US Elections: Launching a CIPS Podcast Series
- October 15, 2020
With the US as an all-powerful neighbour and main trading partner, Canadian analyses of the American elections are naturally focused on what’s at stake for Canada and Canadians. But the November 2020 elections are also eagerly watched in other parts …
By Rita Abrahamsen
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Can Canada Win a UN Security Council Seat?
- June 15, 2020
On June 17, 2020, Canada will seek election to the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) as one of the ten non-permanent members. If successful, Canada will serve as one of five countries elected this year for a two-year term ending …
By Caroline Dunton
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Disunited Democracies Cannot Face the Challenge of China
- June 7, 2020
The United States and its allies must agree on an approach to China with a clarity of purpose, resolve, and restraint. Because the China challenge will only grow over time.

After China violated Hong Kong’s legislative autonomy by imposing a …
By Roland Paris
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Withdrawing from the Open Skies Treaty Is a Short-Sighted Mistake
- May 27, 2020
President Trump’s decision to withdraw from the Open Skies Treaty is motivated by a desire to play to the ideology of his political base at home, not by any reasonable national security rationale. This is ironic, given that the greatest …
By Peter Jones
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Israel-Palestine: Annexation Will Change Everything and Nothing
- May 14, 2020
On 29 April, Israelis celebrated the 72nd anniversary of the foundation of their state, while at the same time, on ‘Land Day,’ Palestinians mourned the Nakbah (catastrophe), which remembers the ethnic cleansing of some 700,000 people from their land in …
By Philip Leech-Ngo
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Coronavirus Shows Why Canada Must Reduce Its Dependence on the U.S.
- May 6, 2020
Canadian foreign policy has long embraced both a deep continental relationship with the United States and a devotion to liberal internationalism. In light of the COVID-19 pandemic, the time has come to re-evaluate our approach.

While Canada has been able …
By Philippe Lagassé and Srdjan Vucetic
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Seeking Asylum During the Pandemic: On Why Borders Must Remain a Little Open
- April 22, 2020
As states have increasingly hunkered down to stop the spread of COVID-19, they have imposed increasing restrictions on the movement of people across borders. Airlines began by cancelling flights from China; then, US President Donald Trump banned incoming flights from …
By Patti Tamara Lenard
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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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