DIPLOMATICA
The legacy of Angela Merkel
Children in Germany have been known to ask their parents: is it possible for a man to become chancellor in Germany? Not an unreasonable question if you were born after the turn of the millennium. For 16 years, from 2005 to 2021, Angela Merkel has been at the helm of government in Germany. She has […]
A post-pandemic ASEAN strategy
Canada’s engagement with Asia is shaped by its expanding trade ties with China toward the end of the 2000s. Apart from being Canada’s largest trading partner in Asia (third largest overall after the U.S. and EU), China also far superseded its Japanese and Korean counterparts in terms of their overall trade values with the Great […]
The Bahamas’ new growth ministry
The Bahamas, as a low-lying, small island developing state (SIDS), is not only recovering from the weather and pandemic-induced disasters of the past, but also preparing for the future. Prime Minister Philip Davis gave a much-lauded speech at the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP 26) in which he cautioned the world to take urgent […]
Mexico-Canada: A strategic relationship
In recent years, the strategic relationship between Mexico and Canada has continued to consolidate, in large part because of the strong business ties and increasing trade opportunities between both countries. With the implementation of CUSMA, which came into effect July 1, 2020, the economic relationship between Mexico and Canada could reach a new level of […]
Redirecting support for Haitian orphanages
The devastating 7.0 magnitude earthquake that struck Haiti in 2010 dominated headlines around the world. Seeing the images of the destruction from her home in Whitehorse, then-18-year-old Morgan Wienberg was inspired to help. Wienberg travelled to Haiti and began volunteering in an orphanage, where she quickly learned the dark reality of the orphanage system. The […]
DISPATCHES
The AUKUS alliance’s pros
To the surprise of many, on Sept. 15, 2021, a new Australia, United Kingdom and United States (AUKUS) security partnership was announced by Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and U.S. President Joe Biden. The news of a new trilateral agreement will likely be the most important and consequential security announcement […]
Where business is heading
Wherever they exist, trends are about human behaviour, which is predictable. Charles Tatum, psychology expert at California’s National University, says predictability leaves us open to manipulation by such elements as media, advertisers, political and social movements and social media. Ultimately, predictions can shape our behaviour and create trends. These 10 trends for 2022 represent the […]
Africa’s coming rough years
The years 2020 and 2021 were tough and worrying years for Africa and Africans. Will 2022 prove better and more life sustaining? The COVID-19 pandemic set Africa’s development back in 2021 by at least 10 years, according to the World Bank. In addition to soaring case rates everywhere, but especially in South Africa in 2021, […]
Russia prepares for war with Ukraine
Ukraine has strayed too far into NATO’s corner, as it did in 2014, and that is something Moscow will not tolerate, even if it means a ground war with NATO. The U.S. has warned that Russia may be preparing for an invasion of Ukraine similar to the one it undertook in 2014. At that time, […]
A second chance at school
Grace hunches over her desk to write. Watching her, it seems she’s trying to hide her size and blend into the sea of much younger and smaller children around her. She’s 16 and sitting in a Grade 1 classroom in rural Liberia. If you were to flip through her notebook, you would be impressed by […]
DELIGHTS
Keeping spirits high with road trips
We’re in the middle of an Ottawa winter with the pandemic still dogging our heels, but that’s all the more reason to discover what the open road offers. Our latest recommendations mean you need travel no further than Toronto, and sometimes just to downtown Ottawa, for a revitalizing change of scene. If your trip includes […]
The fino points: Exploring Spain’s fortified wines
Sherry often gets a bad rap. Sweet-style Harvey’s Bristol Cream, despite being the world’s best-selling sherry, does little to positively fortify this wine’s reputation. The southwestern Spanish region of Jerez has been a historic wine region for centuries. Under King Alfonso’s rule in the 1200s, knights were rewarded with vineland in the region. The Valdespino […]
Art from Kinngait on display
Editor’s note: Due to unpredictable public-health restrictions, please contact galleries in advance to check whether exhibition dates have changed. Annie Pootoogook was an unassuming figure on the streets of Ottawa — quiet, small and without pretence — yet the mark she left on Canadian art is indelible. I didn’t know Pootoogook, but she was beloved […]
On hostage diplomacy and the cold war with China
The Two Michaels: Innocent Canadian Captives and High Stakes Espionage in the U.S.-China Cyber War Mike Blanchfield and Fen Osler Hampson Sutherland House, November 2021 $9.99 Kindle $24.70 paperback 300 pages For more than 1,000 days, two Canadians named Michael captured the attention and sympathy of the nation. Hostages of the Chinese government, they were […]
DIGNITARIES
New Arrivals – Winter | Spring 2022
Scott Ryan High Commissioner for Australia Scott Ryan comes to diplomacy from politics. He was first elected to the Senate in the 2007 federal election and was re-elected in 2013 and 2016. He served as a parliamentary secretary to the minister for education, and then as parliamentary secretary to the minister for education and training. […]
New Arrivals – Fall 2021
Gline Arley Clarke High Commissioner for Barbados High Commissioner Clarke began his career in politics as assistant to the leader of the opposition in Barbados between 1991 and 1994. In 1994, he was elected as a member of parliament for St. George North and became parliamentary secretary in the ministry of public works, transport and […]
New Arrivals – Summer 2021
New Arrivals Alfred Kenneth Russell High Commissioner for Bahamas After a long career at the Bahamas Oil Refinery, High Commissioner Russell became a justice of the peace and a member of the housing commission for the island of Grand Bahama. He was then responsible for public works as a council representative and then chairman of […]
New Arrivals – Spring 2021
Josefina Martinez Gramuglia Ambassador of Argentina Ambassador Martinez Gramuglia began her career at the pro bono office at the ministry of justice and human rights. In 2000, she joined the directorate for international economic negotiations and was in charge of multilateral economic affairs and bilateral investment treaties. Between 2003 and 2004, she was deputy chief […]
New Arrivals – Winter 2021
Ricardo A. Cisneros Ambassador of El Salvador Ambassador Cisneros joined the foreign service in 1990 as an administrative assistant at the embassy in France and was posted to Brussels three years later. In 1996, he became first secretary at the embassy in Ottawa, where he stayed for five years before becoming consul-general in Milan. For […]
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