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Brazil offers Canada a partnership beyond economics

| October 26, 2011 | 0 Comments
Brazil offers Canada a partnership beyond economics

Strengthening the economic ties between Brazil and Canada stands out among the objectives of every Brazilian ambassador in Ottawa. Trade flows and investments have traditionally sustained bilateral relations. But recent figures show that much more can be achieved. In 2010, trade was still limited, especially when seen in the context of both countries’ commercial transactions […]

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Investment opportunities abound in Azerbaijan

| October 26, 2011 | 0 Comments
Investment opportunities abound in Azerbaijan

In a recent article about Azerbaijan’s capital, Baku, New York Times travel writer Kathleen Kingsbury lauds its “magnificent European-style Beaux-Arts mansions, built by the city’s first oil barons a century ago,” which, she says, sit next to the newly-constructed “Guggenheim Bilbao-style Museum of Modern Art” and dozens of new hotels, futuristic malls and arcades. This […]

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U.S. Ambassador David Jacobson lends a hand

| October 26, 2011 | 0 Comments
U.S. Ambassador David Jacobson lends a hand

He wore an old black turtleneck, jeans, black knee guards and sneakers. It was a far cry from his usual suit-and-tie work attire but, for U.S. Ambassador David Jacobson, it was a more sensible outfit for the job at hand — to help retrofit a Habitat for Humanity home for an Ottawa family in need. […]

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The world’s newest country needs help

| October 26, 2011 | 0 Comments
The world’s newest country needs help

The world’s newest nation, South Sudan, was born on July 9 to become the world’s 193rd country after its people nearly unanimously chose independence from the war-torn nation of Sudan. South Sudan’s population, mostly black, Christian and indigenous tribes people, has been at war — largely regarded as genocidal — with the mostly Muslim north […]

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How a 50-cent donation has helped 10,000 children and built 26 classrooms in Nicaragua

| October 26, 2011 | 0 Comments
How a 50-cent donation has helped 10,000 children and built 26 classrooms in Nicaragua

It’s spring and the road to Monte Olivo in northwest Nicaragua is washed away with heavy rains. According to our director of operations, we cannot get through, even with 4X4s, to reach the construction site. Three members of the SchoolBOX construction team, stationed at the site, continue to advance with the four-classroom school building project. […]

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Gaining influence: Military role puts Canada back on the map

| October 26, 2011 | 0 Comments
Gaining influence: Military role puts Canada back on the map

Richard Cohen was born in Montreal and attended the Royal Military College in Kingston before enlisting in the Canadian army. Seven years later, he left Canada to join the British army where he felt he’d find more action and where he did find more action — enough to keep him there for 21 years, including […]

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Saudi Arabia’s King Abdullah seeks ‘a new, modern society’

| October 26, 2011 | 0 Comments
Saudi Arabia’s King Abdullah seeks ‘a new,  modern society’

As an avid and loyal reader of Diplomat & International Canada, I was surprised to see a photo of King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia included in “The Dirty Dozen” on the cover of your Summer 2011 issue. After reading what seemed to be an amateurish item about Saudi Arabia’s King Abdullah, I thought either the […]

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Envoy’s Album

| June 27, 2011 | 0 Comments
Envoy’s Album

       

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Roy MacLaren: Memoir of a formidable man

| June 26, 2011 | 0 Comments
Roy MacLaren: Memoir of a formidable man

There are times in The Fundamental Things Apply (McGill-Queen’s University Press, $39.95), Roy Mac­Laren’s memoir of his life in diplomacy, business and politics, when one is reminded of the Lanny Budd cycle by Upton Sinclair. This is a sequence of 11 novels in which the character Budd, an American diplomat, seems to bump into all […]

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Assessing Canada’s vulnerability

| June 26, 2011 | 0 Comments
Assessing Canada’s vulnerability

In war and peace, the support and confidence of allies can be decisive for a country’s survival and prosperity. Canada’s profound reliance on its trade, defence and other ties to the United States means that Canadians have a crucial interest in keeping borders and diplomatic, military and intelligence channels open with their neighbour. This access […]

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