In Depth
The Iranian regime is often in the headlines but for its nuclear program rather than its systematic repression of the Iranian people. The “red line” debate has been about the enrichment of uranium, not the impoverishment of human rights.
This online series puts the spotlight on the state of human rights in Iran – on the beatings, rapes, wrongful arrests and imprisonments, and executions. The goal of this discussion is fivefold: to raise awareness of the human rights situation in Iran; to examine the most pressing policy dilemmas the international community and the Iranian people face in responding to this situation; to scrutinize the actions that have been taken so far, including Canada’s; and to identify the best ways to help the Iranian people. More …
The scramble for the Arctic is on. As Canada prepares to take up the chairmanship of the Arctic Council this year, new state and non-state actors are staking their claims to the region, as melting ice creates new risks and opportunities for development. Will these competing claims result in conflict? This OpenCanada.org In Depth considers the different agendas of the various stakeholders and asks whether clashing interests in the region are inevitable or whether cooler heads will prevail under Canada’s watch. More …
We can theorize all we want about why North Korea represses its people. We can debate whether someone should be allowed to sell a piece of their body to a stranger. We can ponder how climate change is going to transform our world in the next century. But we inevitably struggle to grasp the gritty reality of the problems as we consider them from the comfort of our homes, offices, and classrooms. This sense of remove makes it harder to produce analysis that is useful in practice, not just in theory. More …
Things have been heating up in the Asia-Pacific, politically but also economically. What does this mean for Canada? How do we balance our various trade and security relationships in the region during a time of leadership transition and shifting geopolitical alliances? This series asks whether Canada could best navigate the challenges of productive economic relations in Asia via strengthening relations with Japan and negotiating a successful Economic Partnership Agreement or EPA. With the second round of EPA negotiations coming up this April, as well as the 2013 Canada-Japan Trade Symposium, it is time to put the spotlight on the Canada-Japan relations. Join the conversation @TheCIC @AsiaPacificFdn @CdnChamberofCom #JapanEPA More …
OpenCanada, in partnership with The North-South Institute, and with contributions from International Institute for Sustainable Development, has created a space to explore the relationship between sustainability and the next generation of Millennium Development Goals. The aim of the series is three-fold: to consider competing conceptions of sustainability; to debate if and how sustainability should be integrated into global development goals; and to evaluate the different proposals and processes that will inform the development of the post-2015 framework. Below you will find essays, comments, interviews, and infographics, as well as links to related current projects. Do we need Sustainable Development Goals? Follow the discussion on Twitter @TheCIC, @NSI_INS, #cicSDG.
With the 2013 BRICS Summit wrapping up this week, Brazil’s role on the international stage is getting plenty of attention. OpenCanada talked to experts about Brazil’s influence on the normative development of ‘Responsibility to Protect’, specifically, its advocacy of RwP, or “Responsibility While Protecting.” As the developing world becomes increasingly vocal in international debates on intervention policy, understanding where views are split will likely prove critical to making progress. In the articles below, you’ll find out how R2P and RwP fit in architecture of intervention, and whether Brazil’s contribution is a constructive or potentially harmful one. More …
Conference in Brief
This webpage captures the Canada-China Opportunities in Transition Conference, a premier event in Canada on our evolving relationship with our second largest economic partner. Held at the Château Laurier Hotel in Ottawa on 22 March 2013. The material below examines the opportunities and challenges from a Canadian perspective, but also with significant Chinese participation. More …
Human societies cannot survive, much less thrive, in the absence of reliable sources of fresh water. This reality makes water a resource of immense value. But rarely do we see water being used in a way that reflects that value, particularly in relatively water-rich countries like Canada. On this World Water Day, OpenCanada asked three experts whether the attitudes of Canadians toward water are changing for the better; whether the way we think about water will affect our ability to adapt to climate change-related impacts on supply and demand; and whether Canada can be a global leader on water-related issues. More …
Ten years on, Baghdad and Washington are still feeling the ripple effects of the Iraq War, as insurgent attacks continue and sequestration kicks in. But should the period of the Iraq war be considered “a lost decade”? Have we learned anything from the deaths of over 100,000 Iraqi civilians and 6,630 U.S. soldiers? Is it still to early to tell? OpenCanada asked our experts to reflect on the lessons learned (and not) from ten years of conflict. We also selected essays and longform pieces that highlight changing perceptions of the war from 2003 to 2013. More …
Meet the 2013 #cdnfp Twitterati. They are the journalists, commentators, academics and practitioners with two things in common: they have a Canadian connection and they’re driving foreign affairs discussion on Twitter. This list is our answer to Foreign Policy’s rather Canada-light who’s who of Twitter. We’ve divided up our list into four categories – journalists and writers; thinkers and doers; organizations; and politicians and public servants (plus a couple of bonus categories). You can browse using the menus below. And don’t forget to read the introduction to the list from Carolyn McCaffrey. Who did we miss? Let us know on Twitter @TheCIC.
