Jeremy Kinsman

Canada’s former ambassador to Russia on why Alexei Navalny is an existential threat to Vladimir Putin.

Simon Anholt, The Good Country Equation: How We Can Repair the World in One Generation. Berrett-Koehler, 2020.

Internal divisions are tearing both the US and the UK apart. But while the US will likely swing back to its moderate ways once Trump is gone, the UK will be forever changed post-Brexit, writes Jeremy Kinsman.

Former Canadian ambassador to Russia Jeremy Kinsman calls for a new, robust roadmap for dealing with Putin and asks: which global leader is prepared
to stick to it?

The expectation that Justin
Trudeau would re-establish a positive relationship with the White House officially
fizzled this week. Jeremy Kinsman asks if Canada has been playing its cards right and how it might proceed.

As a Canadian ambassador once said, negotiating with the US means coping with ‘a country of a thousand
players who can deliver a thousand wounds.’ As NAFTA talks continue, veteran diplomat Jeremy Kinsman
reflects on his own experience and cautions against appearing too eager for an
accord.

Canada’s former High Commissioner to the UK, Jeremy Kinsman, on the many lessons that should be taken from Thursday’s
results: ‘Division of societies
won’t work any more.’

With
a general election called for June 8, is May a shoo-in? Jeremy Kinsman, former Canadian high commissioner to the UK, on why now and what could throw the narrative. 

Navalny may not be able to beat Putin in next year’s presidential election, but he is
inspiring a new kind of thinking in Russia.

With Donald Trump’s inauguration around the corner,
let’s take stock of his election — remembering not to normalize his behaviour —
and then get on with it, writes Jeremy Kinsman.

Trudeau’s unabashed praise of the late Cuban leader reflects a special relationship between the two countries — one that needs reinforcing as Cuba faces a period of great change.

For seven years, Canada has been trying to find the EU’s evasive sweet spot of consensus on a bilateral trade deal. If CETA is rejected this week, is the EU good for anything anymore?

Aspects of Canada’s pluralism model may serve Europe well, but is it a fair comparison? In advance of 6 Degrees, the upcoming three-day event on inclusion, diplomat Jeremy Kinsman looks at the challenge of identity and integration in both regions.

UK
Prime Minister Theresa May has asserted that “there will be no second
referendum” following Britain’s vote to leave the EU on June 23. But what if
the European model changes in the meantime? As veteran diplomat Jeremy Kinsman
writes, in a follow up to his open letter to David Cameron, when nothing is
clear, anything may be possible. 

In this open memo to the outgoing British Prime Minister, former Canadian High Commissioner to the UK, Jeremy Kinsman, describes in detail just how badly the Remain campaign failed.      1. Referenda are the nuclear weapons of democracy. In parliamentary systems they are redundant. Seeking a simplistic binary yes/no answer to complex questions, they […]

On the eve of the UK’s referendum
over EU membership, Canada’s former High Commissioner to the United Kingdom,
Jeremy Kinsman, looks at how the debate got this far and what to expect next
week, and beyond.

The European Project was meant to ward against the 20th
century nationalistic passions that led to two world wars. But a financial
meltdown, refugee crisis and now unnecessary referendum have blown a perfect
storm into a hurricane. Is the EU just too big to fail? 

Why have Arab states failed? Within borders drawn by outsiders, most
are institutionally weak, archaic, corrupt and inert, riven by sectarian
hostilities. The epicentre of failure is Syria. Jeremy Kinsman on how the
region fell into chaos, and how it will get itself out.  

With more than 30 killed on Tuesday, former EU-based diplomat Jeremy Kinsman reflects
on the complex make-up of communities now in the spotlight and the
difficult task of preventing this kind of violence.

In the two months since taking office,
the Liberal prime minister has hit the global stage running, embodying the Canadian spirit
of multilateralism and inclusivity. 

World media attempted to put a human face on refugees, but now, with
recent terror attacks, ISIL is pitting ‘foreigners’ against Europeans. Can the
EU emerge from this united?  

When it comes to Greece and Europe, EU leadership must think in terms of decades & centuries, not weeks & months. 

Jeremy Kinsman reflects on politics, money, and lies. And where sport sits in the middle of it all.

This year’s election campaign needs to address strengthening U.S. and North American relations.

Few relationships are as adversarial as that of the US and Iran. But negotiating with one’s enemy is the most important kind of diplomacy — Canada should take note.

Eugenie Bouchard’s recent behaviour mirrors Canada’s on the international stage. By Jeremy Kinsman.

For the millions who felt empowered by events in Tahrir Square, a democratic awakening has been postponed but not smothered, argues Jeremy Kinsman.

How did we get to this point in eastern Ukraine? And how can we prevent it from escalating further?

As Russians mourn the murdered opposition leader, Jeremy Kinsman reflects on what his death symbolizes in the country’s battle for democracy.

There is no military solution to the conflict, argues Jeremy Kinsman.

Jeremy Kinsman on how the prime minister has projected himself and Canada in the world.

Russia may still be an antagonist for Western governments, but the end of the Cold War was the start of something much bigger.

The continental bonds of North America’s Three Amigos feel frayed. We can do better, says Jeremy Kinsman.

Jeremy Kinsman on what the Flight MH17 crash means for the conflict in eastern Ukraine.

Jeremy Kinsman on Canada’s strained relationship with Russia in the Arctic.

“We don’t negotiate with terrorists” is a slogan without substance. States need to negotiate with anybody able to conclude a necessary outcome. They generally do, if under the radar or via intermediaries. Moreover, negotiation doesn’t mean validation of a cause or withdrawal of hostility to it. Nor is it just bargaining over the price to […]

Nothing positive has happened during the current round of negotiations except that the Iran threat is becoming less of a usable issue. Internal politics preoccupy both Palestinian and Israelis to the detriment of compromise. Israel sees the West Bank-Gaza unity move as a menace. Meanwhile, the destructive Israeli settlements policy remains unmoderated. Kerry’s frustrated but […]

The Ukraine protests were not primarily about geopolitics, the EU vs Russia, or the ethnic divide, which apart from in Crimea is overstated. They have been about Ukrainian self-governance, cronyism, and corruption. Putin is the last person to understand the point of it all. He sees hostility everywhere. The alleged threat from “the West” was […]

It’s becoming a sort of dysfunctional Canadian story. 1) The Government is frustrated and offended that the US Administration is not paying sufficient attention to Canadian interests, notably on the Keystone XL pipeline, but also on other issues. US domestic political interests have priority. 2) The US does pay heed to Mexico, in part because […]

Parliamentary oversight of these controversial powers is essential but the prognosis is discouraging. The public interest depends on a) political acceptance of a meaningful parliamentary role sadly absent from this Government’s culture; b) a serious professional committee of Parliament, sworn to the official secrets act, acting in non-partisan interests; and c) deference from the swaggering […]

Rouhani’s election in Iran and then the tentative and preliminary US/EU/Iran deal on nuclear weapons restraint and sanctions, including the beginnings of an absolutely necessary partial rapprochement between the US and Iran. The revelation of US secret conversations with the Iranians and then the deal itself have alienated US allies Israel and Saudi Arabia, chief […]

I offer a memory that serves as a constant reminder that in the long arc of history, justice prevails. In early 2002, the then mayor of London, Ken Livingstone, who had been an anti-apartheid activist, created in Trafalgar Square a celebration of thanks and homage to Nelson Mandela, in the belief he would likely not […]

It depends who the critic is. Netanyahu’s entitled to express dire warning (though he has gone too far in lobbying the U.S. Congress against Obama). Baird’s expression of “deep skepticism” is truly pointless and for Canada, counter-productive. Skeptical analysis is OK if it is joined to tentative celebration of the genuinely historic temporary holding agreement […]

Alan B. Sielen writes in the current issue of Foreign Affairs “So long as pollution, overfishing, and ocean acidification remain concerns only for scientists, little will change for the good. Diplomats and national security experts, who understand the potential for conflict in an overheated world, should realize that climate change might soon become a matter […]

No. There is no legal mandate for electronic interception of messages except for national and international security. Canadian electronic security activities desperately need parliamentary oversight. The argument I have always heard from whiny Canadian companies is that the “other guys are getting contracts by bribery and we’re just being boy scouts.” In fact, in a […]

Jeremy Kinsman on why successfully building and renewing democracy depends on civil society.

The “West” – that is the U.S., France, and the U.K. – will achieve some measure of credibility with surgical strikes on military assets and identified chemical weapons sites, not just for themselves, but on behalf of a world community that, in the wake of the gas attack horrors of WWI, outlawed by the Geneva […]

Democracies should be giving more aid to Egypt, not less. The current economic disaster is one more volatile ingredient in the explosive mixture. But enhanced western aid needs to be absolutely conditional on immediate power-sharing. An inclusive commission should guide a firm transition to elections and pluralist institutions. If the army balks at outside interference, […]

We’re not there yet. Anti-gay laws were one of the reasons Obama canned his September political get-together with Putin, but mixing the Olympics and political principle has always been a complicated topic. IOC leaders are first going to try diplomacy on Vladimir Putin, so as to rule out any extension to Sochi Games athletes of […]

The U.S. actually comes across in the Wiki-leaked documents mostly as a human rights defender abroad. There is little evidence of damage to U.S. interests from the leaks. So, Manning is sure not a “traitor”; though his act of conscience while in uniform (or Snowden’s while under contract) can hardly be condoned by U.S. authorities. […]

No. Sure, it’s a real mess and one of Morsi’s making. But he’s elected. The first ever. He has not been a competent leader. But the protests can hopefully lead him to accept rational compromise including early elections and the reinstatement of inclusivity in Egypt’s institutions and governance. Reconciling Islamic faith and inclusive democracy is […]

No question it has. Civil liberties give way whenever there’s a war or threat of war. Cynics say “Privacy’s gone. Get over it.” But hugely troubling questions need answers. Are we at “war?” Have excessively powerful U.S. agencies exaggerated the threats, oversold the remedies, and intimidated elected leaders into accepting the dilution of rights of […]

“Charity begins at home.”

Obviously, Canada. That it is so obvious Canada needs it more is not the outcome which works for us. But it’s what we demonstrate every day in every way. Trans-Canada and the Harper Government’s assumptions going into this issue were that this was a “no-brainer” (the talking point for Canada’s missions in the U.S., repeated […]

The reasons international intervention has so far been limited to support for the rebels (in the U.S. case, short of arming them) are that a) Russia and China and others less important oppose direct international intervention, thereby denying UN legitimization; b) the military challenges of doing in Syria what was done for Libya are very […]

You’re playing into the “gotcha” game. Leave that to the court media stenos in the Ottawa bureau. Trudeau spoke in the moment, baffled as we all were as to why someone could do something so grotesque. We do need to know why, for security’s sake, and if it were a “marginalized” member of our society, […]

It will depend on whether the Harper Government sees development assistance as something they reluctantly accept they have to do, near the back of the donor pack, but which they will gear more to Canadian economic returns (60% of ODA is already spent in Canada), or whether they want to retrieve Canada’s standing as an […]

Of course. Trudeau (PET) believed deeply that Canada has a global vocation insisting we have key relationships in all parts of the world. (And he did.) Obviously, Brazil, Chile, Mexico, and yes, Cuba and Venezuela – subject to our ability to communicate a human rights message as well – should be strategic partners. The South […]

It’s remotely possible that if the conclave chose a Pope who could adapt the Church and its services to modern needs, rather than expecting the faithful to endorse the 16th century, it might regain some of the influence Karel Wojtyla generated when he weighed in against the Soviet headlock on Eastern Europe, and toured the […]

The one that scares me the most is Pakistan’s. Anything could happen there. There is a world landscape issue. New nuclear weapons states point to double standards. Obama’s wish to downsize the U.S. and Russian arsenals via the New Start improves the atmosphere. What would be most positive for deterrence, including of Iran, is for […]

A “threat”? That’s not the right word. Canadians these days hover between smugness and paranoia. Canada should be part of the continental energy solution. But the reality is that to be valorized in that way and to have our energy assets monetized, we have to be part of the continental carbon abatement solution. For real, […]

In fact, Islamic terrorist attacks in 2012 world-wide were down to a handful, and seven of the 10 notable events were sectarian, four in Iraq, one in China, two in India/Pakistan, virtually no incidents in the West. al-Qaida in Maghreb is a serious regional mestastasis but it’s from a very weakened global organ. The terrorism […]

Yes. The UN Security Council urged members to do so. We are either part of the democratic international community or not. The jihadist force moving South long ago pushed Touareg independentists aside and declared cruel war on what was recently an African democracy. They can only be stopped by military force. France gets it and […]

Fast-breaking trivial info item: Canada’s Foreign Service Officers are to receive martial arts training for self-defence on their postings. The bad news here; it gets sillier and sillier. Maybe the good news is that they’re beginning to grasp that Canada’s self-righteous “me first” new brand isn’t playing so well out there. Priorities? To strategize is […]

Of course. Purposeful diplomacy means talking with everybody, above or (as is currently happening) below the radar. Before the Arab Spring saw governments democratically elected in Tunisia, Egypt and Libya, Hamas won an election in 2006 in Gaza (which caused a devastating Israeli blockade to “punish” the voters.) Like them or not, Hamas does represent the people who live there […]

Vastly different challenges. China’s political oligarchy has to cede its tight and probably corrupt monopoly on political diktat or the country will fail to meet its potential. It’s an issue of fundamental civil and political rights. The U.S. is not as socially divided as right-wing shock radio, elderly white Tea Party nostalgics, and mediocre journalism […]

As public policy, carbon pricing is desirable. Out here in BC, there has been a successful carbon tax for several years – successful, in that BC has the lowest per capita carbon consumption in the country, as David Runnalls points out in his CIC website commentary. Ultimately, a cap and trade market for carbon will […]

Not outside of Canada. It’s hard to imagine there is vivid disappointment or that others even noticed. But a Canadian opportunity was missed. There is a vibrant international conversation occurring in the General Debate about aspirations to democracy and its challenges and obligations and Canada should be part of it, especially because Harper does have […]

Not outside of Canada. It’s hard to imagine there is vivid disappointment or that others even noticed. But a Canadian opportunity was missed. There is a vibrant international conversation occurring in the General Debate about aspirations to democracy and its challenges and obligations and Canada should be part of it, especially because Harper does have […]

If Morsi weren’t from the Muslim Brotherhood, would the question be asked? Whoever won Egypt’s first-ever fair presidential election would have to challenge the military which has run Egypt since 1952 and tried to keep their monopoly of power via changes they wrote into the Constitution with the approval of the military-friendly and politicized Constitutional […]

If Morsi weren’t from the Muslim Brotherhood, would the question be asked? Whoever won Egypt’s first-ever fair presidential election would have to challenge the military which has run Egypt since 1952 and tried to keep their monopoly of power via changes they wrote into the Constitution with the approval of the military-friendly and politicized Constitutional […]

OK, I’ll bite, if only possibly to help others make their choices easier. Absolutely agree with you about Why Nations Fail which lends historical sweep and credibility in support of the hopeful arguments of my fellow democracy development activists. But it is also clear that creating the key to successful modernization, replacing extractive institutions by […]

OK, I’ll bite, if only possibly to help others make their choices easier. Absolutely agree with you about Why Nations Fail which lends historical sweep and credibility in support of the hopeful arguments of my fellow democracy development activists. But it is also clear that creating the key to successful modernization, replacing extractive institutions by […]

No and yes. Canada will not “cut ties” with the reign of Elizabeth II. The question will be whether the Canadian Parliament renews our status as a “realm” with her acutely British son, or grand-son. For Canadians the existential issue is less one of pro or con hereditary monarchy: it is whether Canada’s “monarch” should […]

The Quebec riots might be more meaningful if they were a manifestation of a larger and more significant cause. While there’s no doubt a fairly high amount of shared DNA, the two movements are conceptually quite different, Michael Moore’s support notwithstanding. The OWS movement is big picture, aimed at the state of privilege of the […]

It’s a reality that has transformed human affairs. Global inter-connectedness means that norms become shared as common opportunities, even as universal rights, strongly favouring democracy. The question of “threat” is one more aptly put to the Chinese leadership, since further modernization will insist on more openness in their society because of the imperatives of connectedness. […]

If only it were that simple. His desperate and brutal repression will not save Al-Assad in Syria beyond the short-term, and daily adds to the ICC’s prosecution case against him. But China and probably Russia would veto a reference from the UN Security Council. Moreover, an eventual negotiated exit strategy for al-Assad may need to […]

Being advocates immediately after 9/11 for NATO to go to Afghanistan was right. The US screwed everything up by diverting to invading Iraq. Canada’s hubris-driven decision to shift to a combat role in Kandahar was irresponsibly hasty, without evaluation of the readiness of NATO partners to take on equitable burden-sharing and rotation. We were naïve […]

Robert Lepage.

Selectively, and gradually, yes, for citizens from defeated states. But it looks too much like victor’s justice. The US hold-out obsession with ensuring its own citizens stay exempt from the Court’s jurisdiction and even reticence to cooperate with the court on evidence-finding has hobbled effectiveness in the inaugural decade, as well as tarnishing the whole […]

We do. We have managed democratic pluralism reasonably successfully and had a world-valued mentoring capability to support democracy development and human rights defence, remembering democracy can’t be exported or imported but has to emerge from the people in question. Most of what Canadians can contribute is civil society to civil society, and the Rights and […]

Self-involved? Thrilled with itself? But also enviably sound.

Self-involved? Thrilled with itself? But also enviably sound.

Of course. They should have done so for at least the last two, though Zoellick has been OK. If there’s truth in the Hillary Clinton rumour, it’s about the only way the US could keep the position without rancor elsewhere.

“Permission” by the Government only clicks in when there are Security Council or Commonwealth sanctions involved. Authorities are less than vigilant, however; examples – on Iran where a Canadian software company is reported as assisting Iranian security on techniques to choke the Internet; or ill-disguised bribes (“signing bonus”) by Canadian corporations (eg, Petrocan in Libya) […]

For now – that is before the November US elections – yes, grudgingly on Netanyahu’s part. Bibi’s unrivalled hubris and the genuflection of AIPAC and right-wingers like Rick Santorum delude him into thinking his political influence in Washington is greater than the President’s, especially as the derisory Republican race piles on the anti-Iran rhetoric to […]

Canada can’t in practical terms do anything of consequence by itself. The battle is for the Syrians to win. But the need for regional and multilateral pressure on the regime is fundamental. Libya’s inaugural R2P humanitarian intervention cannot be a precedent for Syria because China and Russia won’t give it a mandate (believing they were […]

The need for neighbourhood has never been greater. The three North American countries do too little with the neighbourhood in mind. It’s all about individual national benefit and perceived threat, not about common purpose. Canada has played the pipeline issue badly, deaf to the full range of issues in the US because the government doesn’t […]

Most opportunities flow from events and as 2011 showed, “experts” are too embedded in the status quo to predict them accurately. Canadian policy needs grounding in consistency of democratic values in responding to the sorts of challenges which democrats and human rights defenders are mounting across the world, and the expected foreign policy review is […]

The “Own the Podium” Vancouver Winter Olympics didn’t make much of a lasting impact. Hopefully, and more seriously, the Arab Spring is doing so. New Foreign Minister Baird’s ditching of support for Mubarak offered up by his utterly inadequate predecessor Cannon and the way Canada then stepped up energetically and professionally to the unprecedented UN […]

I doubt, speaking from British Columbia, that Northern Gateway has a chance of approval. No magic bullet there. Back to Plan ‘A’. Delay of Keystone XL past the 2012 election – that’s the reality – enables its backers to get an upgraded and thoughtful communications act together, and engage more effective advocates.  Approval of the project was never a […]

No way. Military subordination to civilian authority is a sine qua non of democratic governance. Tahrir Square wasn’t only about electoral democracy but it certainly was and is a cardinal goal. The successful opposition to Mubarak didn’t do it just to help the military dump an elderly leader who had become a loser. But lasting […]

The notion the G20 might extend national credits to help cover excessive Euro-debt got nowhere. The G8 became ineffective because China, India, and Brazil weren’t in it. The G20 looks ineffective because China, India and Brazil are in it, very defensively.  The IMF can extend some supervised credit. But this multi-layered crisis is Europe’s to […]

Of course. Democracy and human rights activists are accused of being “cyber-utopians” but it seems clear that inter-connectivity and handheld witnessing technologies are making it tough for dictators to do whatever they want. Hafez al-Assad could get away with killing at least 10,000 Sunni citizens of Syria in 1982 in the rebellious town of Hama because […]

Of course – as are butchers, priests, surgeons, and artists. The enduring need to be confidential adviser, interpreter, and strategist is more critical than ever in a competitive, deconstructed and still dangerous world, and to provide meaning over ubiquitous white noise of twittered sound-bites signifying nothing.  But diplomacy is transforming to suit an open and […]

Monnet dreamed of ending Europe’s murderous wars and it came true. It was a political project, but the technique was to proceed cautiously by binding European states through economic inter-dependence without challenging political sovereignty. It worked wonderfully for fifty years. Europeans were never before as free, peaceful, prosperous, healthy, or green. Their enviable social model became unaffordable because of declining birth […]

Hurting, for sure. The campaign is offensive. And it’s stupid. The oil sands industry will do better by advertising its determination to mitigate carbon impacts. But it’s not the only contribution to our growing reputation for being responsibility-deniers. Beyond climate change, there is the disgusting government support for exports to poor countries of asbestos products outlawed in Canada. […]

Philip Stephens writes in the Financial Times that Palestinian statehood “should be the pro-Israel position” because real peace in this 63-year-old conflict demands a Palestinian state. The international community’s promise of a two-state solution is stymied by the Netanyahu-Lieberman coalition’s refusal of sincere negotiations with the Palestinians and aggressive expansion of illegal settlements in what would be […]

As a democracy activist, I hope so. But defence of vital interests is always a more powerful policy driver than supporting others’ idealistic aspirations. The fact is that the zeitgeist of the Arab Spring (a name Arab activists dislike as trivializing their revolution) is going global. One-man and junta dictatorships will go down, in the […]

Conservative minority governments entered with sparse world experience or interest beyond using foreign opportunities to pitch to Canadian ethnic voters. Afghanistan and beefing up the military absorbed the policy oxygen. Canadian comparative advantage in multilateral diplomacy and soft power and influence built over time by Progressive Conservatives as well as Liberals was repudiated. Very mediocre […]

Conservative minority governments entered with sparse world experience or interest beyond using foreign opportunities to pitch to Canadian ethnic voters. Afghanistan and beefing up the military absorbed the policy oxygen. Canadian comparative advantage in multilateral diplomacy and soft power and influence built over time by Progressive Conservatives as well as Liberals was repudiated. Very mediocre […]

The regime will inevitably fall to the democratic forces sweeping young people in the region. Hopefully, Syria will bind together as a democratic state and retain its pluralist and secular personality. A democracy in Syria would be great news for Lebanon and bad news for Iran. Western democracies cannot continue to fear change to the […]

The regime will inevitably fall to the democratic forces sweeping young people in the region. Hopefully, Syria will bind together as a democratic state and retain its pluralist and secular personality. A democracy in Syria would be great news for Lebanon and bad news for Iran. Western democracies cannot continue to fear change to the […]

The “royal” retrofit to the Navy and Air Force titles plays to tradition and history important to military narratives. But the Conservative Government somehow computes that cherished devotion to being a “realm” of the British Royal Family suits Canadian identity in a much wider sense, including the goofy notion it distinguishes us from Americans. What […]

The “royal” retrofit to the Navy and Air Force titles plays to tradition and history important to military narratives. But the Conservative Government somehow computes that cherished devotion to being a “realm” of the British Royal Family suits Canadian identity in a much wider sense, including the goofy notion it distinguishes us from Americans. What […]

Theories and agendas abound. A crisis over values is exposed at long last. This ain’t Tahrir Square about rights, or Athens about welfare cuts, or, thank God, Watts about race. It’s about anti-authority organized gangs igniting mindless mobs grabbing what they can while they can because the din of materialistic pleasure and self-gratification drowns out […]

He wrote he would “kill to avoid the islamicization of Europe.” His act was that of an insane person, but we would be deluded not to conflate his atrocity with the xenophobia of extremist political parties and right-wing hate groups in Europe that radiate anti-immigrant and anti-government messages in increasingly inflammatory language. Their words may […]

It’s not about “softer” but about being rational. John Baird just said it: Canadian foreign policy must represent our interests AND our values; we do both simultaneously. Recognizing China as a “strategic partner” is facing economic reality. That China is pivotal to key outcomes in world affairs merits more engagement, not less. But diplomacy depends […]

Africans agreed not to unravel arbitrary colonial borders which ignored tribal and other realities, but failed to nurture the pluralistic societies which they contain. Elections are one key step toward democracy. But post-election populist tribal majorities often lord it over minorities and losers. Conflict erupts. Count about 20 recent or active internal conflicts in Africa, […]

Presence, yes, but why “military?” Where’s the threat? Fantasies like Peter MacKay’s Russian bomber runs, or Celluci’s Northwest Passage inbound terrorists? Give us a break. Canada deserves an Arctic settlement presence, having only 2% of circumpolar population within the Circle of 2 million and 4% of Arctic regional settlement of 4 million. Russia and Norway […]

Though the IMF also provides short term financing to Greece, over 100 billion Euros so far, and bail-out support for Portugal and Spain, “Saving the Euro” is a Eurozone job, especially up to France and Germany who hold most Greek debt. Greece needs more time to repay loans and help to service debt since market […]

Upside in capacity but downside in international behaviour. Our Afghan experience built a well-kitted and combat-savvy military and civilian hands-on know-how. They can support humanitarian interventions in what will remain a violent world. Downside? The Afghan operation shifted foreign policy calculations to the PMO/PCO, where there is zero interest in international opportunities without domestic political […]

Support the “Arab awakening.” The Globe and Mail describes Stephen Harper as a “skeptic” about the Arab Spring, because of its “risks.” Syrian protestors, like young Egyptians, are the ones at risk, apart from dictators. Protestors need our support and if they succeed, short-term financial help to bridge the costs of change. At the G-8, […]