The recognition of genocide committed by the so-called Islamic State in Iraq and Syria against the Yazidi minority by the Liberal government of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau last week was “too little, too late,” says an opposition member of parliament… »
Highlights / International Zone
International, Politics, Society
Canada’s arms trade dilemma
A remotely operated machine gun swivelling on its base with robotic grace, its electronic eye searching for targets, greeted you at the entrance to the trade show at Ottawa’s EY Centre. A giant convention floor filled with booths featuring guns,… »
Stephane Dione’s Syria gambit
Much has been said about Stephane Dion’s alleged Faustian deal with Russia that apparently got Canada invited to join the group of nations seeking to broker an end to the Syrian civil war. I, for one, believe our foreign minister… »
Canada lifts sanctions on Europe’s ‘last dictator’
Western leaders used to call him Europe’s last dictator. But Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, who has ruled the former Soviet republic with an iron fist since 1994, is clawing his way back to Western favour largely thanks to the unintended… »
Why Canada can’t have the North Pole
Ottawa’s efforts to map the Central Arctic Ocean in an attempt to present a scientific case for Canada’s claim to the North Pole are a monumental waste of taxpayers’ money, says one of the country’s leading experts on international law… »
Foreign policy priorities reflected in Liberal budget
The Liberal government of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau backed up some of its foreign policy ambitions with some hard hash when Finance Minister Bill Morneau presented his first budget last week. Michael Bell, a four-time Canadian ambassador in the Middle… »
International, Politics, Society
Lessons from Norway’s Russia assessment
An annual intelligence assessment, which in large part focuses on Russia’s actions in the Arctic, released by Norway’s foreign intelligence service last week is drawing a lot of interest among defence and security experts in circumpolar countries, including Canada. The… »
International, Politics, Society
Ottawa mulls role in stabilizing Libya
It looks increasingly like Canada will take part in what is likely to be a dangerous peacemaking operation in Libya. Speaking to reporters at the Conference on Security and Defence in Ottawa on Friday Chief of the Defence Staff Gen.… »
International, Politics, Society
Is Canada training a separatist army in Iraq?
In the millennia-old history of Kurds, there has never been a time when this ancient people of the Middle East were so tantalisingly close to statehood. And if in the next few years, the Kurds do manage to bridge their… »
Should Canada support Gulf monarchies?
A leaked UN report alleging that the Saudi-led coalition fighting Iranian-backed rebels in Yemen may have committed war crimes and crimes against humanity is fueling a debate not only about Canada’s multibillion sale of armoured vehicles to the ultra-conservative kingdom,… »
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