Canada and the World, Ep. 7: Security threats — who’s on the list?
A new podcast series from OpenCanada.org and the Balsillie School of International Affairs.
This week’s episode features a discussion on threats to Canada and the world, recorded live in Ottawa at the Conference of Defence Associations (CDA) Institute. What can be done against a revitalized Russia playing great power politics, and the worrying trend of growing populism in Europe?
First, given that Canada currently has boots on the ground in Latvia to defend against Russian incursions, we examine whether or not Russia is indeed an adversarial country to Canada.
Second, panelists grapple with the question of whether Canada would be better served by cutting relations with bad actors on the world stage, especially given the institutional, political and economic damage that is being caused by various populist leaders in Europe.
Finally, we look at various Russian information operations in Europe and around the world, and how disinformation is affecting the outcomes of elections.
Our host
Bessma Momani is professor at the Balsillie School of International Affairs and University of Waterloo and a senior fellow at the Centre for International Governance Innovation. She’s also a non-resident senior fellow at the Stimson Center in Washington, D.C. and a Fulbright Scholar. She has been non-resident senior fellow at the Brookings Institution in Washington, D.C. and a 2015 Fellow at the Pierre Elliott Trudeau Foundation. She’s a frequent analyst and expert on international affairs in Canadian and global media.
This week’s guests
Alexander Lanoszka is an assistant professor of international relations at the University of Waterloo. His areas of focus include international security, alliance politics, and theories of war, with special focus on Central and Northeastern Europe. Furthermore, he is a fellow at the Balsillie School of International Affairs.Michael Day has had a successful career in a variety of defence and security related roles, such as being Canada’s First Special Operations General Officer, as well as holding key senior appointments in the Canadian Armed Forces and within the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). Currently, Michael is a senior strategic advisor at Rheinmetall Defense.
Stephanie Carvin is an assistant professor of international affairs at the Norman Paterson School of International Affairs and a former national security analyst with the government of Canada. Her research interests include international law, security, terrorism and technology.
Richard Fadden has had an extensive and successful career in Canadian public service. He served as national security adviser to the prime minister of Canada from January 2015 to March 2016. Previously, he was deputy minister of National Defence (2013-2015) and served as director of the Canadian Security and Intelligence Service (2009-2013), among numerous other posts. Richard is currently a member of the board of directors of the Conference of Defence Associations Institute.
Canada and The World is produced and edited by Matthew Markudis. Each episode is available for download (below) and can also be found on iTunes and other podcast applications.
