RI is taking a two-week pause We are embarking on a two-week summer hiatus so watch for our next blog on Monday 23 Aug 2021. In the meantime, here are some of the foreign policy issues we are watching closely. …
State-sponsored espionage whether Chinese or American puts us all at risk
Cyber espionage and the real problem with 5G Technologies To put things in a nutshell, the United States has won its all-in war against Huawei. Those words were written by Wesley Wark, one of Canada’s foremost national security experts, in …
Canada gets Cuba policy right, why DND does not need new subs and much more
Canadian Cuba policy opposing trade embargo and urging dialogue is the right one In an “analysis” entitled As Cuba erupts, Cuban-Canadians accuse the Trudeau government of turning its back, CBC’s Evan Dyer references this statement from Global Affairs Canada: Global …
Swarming military drones bring new urgency to push for killer robot ban
Killer robots and swarming drones A non-paywalled article in Foreign Policy carries the terrifying headline: Killer Flying Robots Are Here. What Do We Do Now? (Vivek Wadhwa and Alex Salkever, 5 July 2021). The sub-title reads: A new generation of …
Time for Canada to get serious on rethinking security for a post-pandemic world
Rethinking security needed now more than ever On the occasion of the deployment of the UK’s new aircraft carrier to “Japan and back”, Professor Paul Rogers has written another powerful article on the futility of our current approach to security …
Parliamentary report heeds civil society calls for strengthened arms export control system
Foreign Affairs Committee Report to Parliament on Arms Export Controls On 21 June 2021 the Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs and International Development delivered its report to parliament on its study, begun in December 2020, of the Granting of Arms …
Glimmers of hope from the Biden-Putin Summit and more
We are modestly optimistic about Biden-Putin Summit Following closely on the heels of the G7 and NATO Summits, American President Joe Biden and Russian President Vladimir Putin met in Geneva on Wednesday, 16 June 2021 for several hours of talks. …
Why is Canada failing when it comes to the laws of war?
Canadian soldiers report evidence of war crimes to no avail Back in May 2021 David Pugliese reported that Canadian soldiers had complained to their commanders in September 2018 that the Iraqi troops they were training were war criminals who liked …
Pandemic prevention, banning killer robots, and keeping outer space peaceful
Preventing a Future Pandemic For a really sensible discussion on an often fraught and highly politicized set of issues, see: The Origin of Covid-19 and preventing the next pandemic (Amanda Moodie and Nicholas Evans, warontherocks.com, 4 June 2021). The authors …
Conflict resolution, cluster munitions and Canada
Against all odds Libya national unity government is holding In an upbeat new report entitled Libya Turns the Page (21 May 2021), the International Crisis Group writes: The establishment of a unified government, which enjoys the backing of Libya’s competing …
Cooperation over conflict in the Arctic
Ebook on RI-co-hosted Arctic Security Webinar Series now available Our blog this week features highlights from a wonderful new ebook of the transcribed, edited proceedings of an Arctic Security webinar series that the Rideau Institute was privileged to co-organize with …
We all have a role to play in ending the carnage in the Occupied Palestinian Territories
Israel chooses violence again As the horrific carnage continues in Gaza, the following headlines tell the story: A Nightmare of Terror Across the Landscape of Palestine: As Israeli lynch mobs roam the streets attacking Palestinians, and as Israeli war planes …
