Dispatches
Canada and the birth of NATO
On April 4, 1949, Canada and 11 other countries signed the North Atlantic Treaty in Washington, D.C., to form the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), its mandate to “safeguard the freedom and security of member countries through political and military means.” After the Second World War, Canada had a strong economy and new confidence. It […]
Country by country
Press freedom worldwide has seen some significant declines in the past year. While there were some good news stories — take a bow, Scandinavia — two thirds of those examined slipped in their rankings from the previous year. Criteria for the rankings include media pluralism, respect for journalists and positive environments within which they operate. […]
Drastic decline
The Reporters Without Borders World Press Freedom Index ranks the performance of 180 countries according to a range of criteria that include media pluralism and independence, respect for the safety and freedom of journalists, and the legislative, institutional and infrastructural environment in which the media operate. Top of the list, as so often, are three […]
From autocracy to awakening?
The Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region has captured the world’s attention in the 21st Century. The Arab Spring of 2011 illustrated how dynamic, grass-roots political movements, ignited by discontent and fuelled by social media, can completely transform societies in the blink of an eye. These events (resulting in revolutionary political shifts in places […]
10 dangerous men
What is terrorism? James D. Kiras, an American expert on asymmetrical warfare, describes the term as a “complex phenomenon open to subjective interpretation.” His ambivalent interpretation of the word “terrorism” could be applied to an actor such as Iran and Syria-backed Hezbollah, a militia and political party representing Shia interests in Lebanon. According to the […]
How could Russia do it?
Why did Russia make its move on Ukraine in March 2014? It’s clear now that Russian President Vladimir Putin wants and needs to tie Ukraine to Russia’s political, military, and economic chariot. If one disregards the “Russki Mir” propaganda — Mr. Putin’s self-created soft-power foundation, designed to promote the Russian language and Russia as a […]
A Canadian lab’s Ebola experience
An Ebola outbreak is currently raging in West Africa at a pace never seen in all past epidemics caused by Ebola virus. It is posing a severe challenge not only to the countries directly affected, where containment of the disease has not yet happened, but to countries worldwide, as concern mounts about the spread of […]
The end of the Middle East?
Geopolitics is based on the eternal verities of geography, and that means relatively little in geopolitics comes to an end. The Warsaw Pact may have dissolved following the collapse of the Berlin Wall, but Russia is still big and it still lies next door to Central and Eastern Europe, so a Russian threat to Europe […]
Untapped Israel (now on tap)
On a late-summer day in front of Ottawa City Hall, thousands of beer lovers gathered to partake of one, two or several cold beverages. The atmosphere was just right. The sounds of great music and smells of good food filtered through the air. Originating from Peterborough, Perth, Kemptville and Stittsville and many places in between, […]
Expanding security to meet growing threats
In October 2014, two soldiers, one in uniform, were the target of a hit-and-run near St-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Quebec; Warrant Officer Patrice Vincent was killed. The driver fled and was shot to death by police following a high-speed chase. Two days later, Michael Zehaf-Bibeau killed Cpl. Nathan Cirillo as Mr. Cirillo stood on duty at the National […]
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