IMPORTANT ARMS CONTROL MILESTONES ABOUND In the lead-up to the 75th anniversary of the Hiroshima and Nagasaki atomic bombings, it is timely to consider recent arms control developments, positive and negative and where we go from here. Ceremony marks 3rd …
Latest on ICC, press freedom and Canada-Israel cooperation on public security
THE GOOD NEWS In our 15 June 2020 blog, we highlighted one of the latest targets of the Trump global wrecking ball, the International Criminal Court (ICC). We wrote in part: White House Executive Order even targets the families of …
However hard to achieve, constructive engagement with China is a global imperative
Early last week, during two extraordinarily powerful interviews with Vina Nadjibulla, wife of Michael Kovrig, one of the “two Michaels” being detained by the Chinese government (the other is Michael Spavor), we learned that a letter had been sent to …
Canada’s UN Security Council election loss is an urgent wake up call
CANADA FALLS SHORT IN UN SECURITY COUNCIL BID The yawning rhetoric-reality gap catches up to Canada With Norway garnering 130 votes, Ireland 128 and Canada 108 in the first round of voting, our country failed in its bid for one …
Canada on defensive at UN, arms export double standards, new targets for Trump wrecking ball and more
ANTI-ANNEXATION LETTER GOES TO THE UN Our June 8 blog post highlighted the positive impact of an Open letter from diplomats and ministers calling on Canada to speak out against the Israeli plan for the unilateral annexation of the West …
Panel Discussion: Canada’s Bid for the UN Security Council (Webinar)
Live panel discussion on Zoom: Click here to register for the panel discussion on Zoom. Date: Monday June 15, 2020 Time: 6-7PM EST The Institute for Peace & Diplomacy (IPD) has organized a panel discussion about Canada’s bid for a …
Diplomats decry West Bank annexation plan, more security rethinking, Saudi debts and the PM’s “pregnant pause”
Former diplomats urge PM Trudeau to condemn Israeli annexation plans In an Open Letter, delivered on 1 June and publicly released the following day, over 50 retired Canadian diplomats, including many ambassadors and three former Liberal ministers, urged him to …
Trump White House ditches yet another disarmament deal, ponders new nuke tests and announces U.S. withdrawal from WHO
Open Skies Treaty For nearly two decades, the Open Skies Treaty has allowed its members to gather information on each other’s military forces and activities through aerial surveillance. With 34 States Parties, including the United States, Russia and most European …
In Ukraine and the Middle East, Canada is not an “honest broker”
Last Monday’s blog post looked at destabilizing and human-rights-undermining Canadian military exports to Saudi Arabia. Today we focus on a similar problem in Ukraine compounded by our continued lack of constructive engagement in the Minsk peace process. Our second area …
War, famine, and pandemic in Yemen but business as usual for Canadian arms exports
Today’s blog post features the full text of the Press Release issued in conjunction with the 14 May Open Letter to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. Civil Society Organizations Decry Global Affairs Canada Justifications for Resumption of Arms Exports to Saudi …
UN 911 first-responder system is overdue
Today we feature a guest post from Rideau Institute Senior Advisor Dr. Peter Langille, presenting the entirety of his article A UN 911 first responder system is overdue, which first appeared in the Hill Times on 1 April 2020 (behind …
Canadian ban on “military assault rifles” only one of many steps needed
Through a Cabinet order-in-council amending regulations to existing legislation in the Criminal Code of Canada, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced on Friday 1 May that the federal government is banning a range of 1,500 “military-style” assault weapons, effective immediately: Today …
