Dispatches
Superstar Nations
The 10 most productive countries on Earth — and five contenders The Age of Expectations, published in 1994 by American economist Paul Krugman (who has since become a Nobel laureate) opens with the following observation: “Productivity isn’t everything, but in the long run it is almost everything. A country’s ability to improve its standard […]
Shifting our guns to the Pacific
Within the last few decades, the world centre of gravity has moved from the Atlantic to the Pacific. By virtually any metric, whether it is economic power, military power, political power, or global influence, the world centre of power has come to reside in the Pacific — with China at the heart of this profound […]
Hard talk: a conversation with Iran
‘In such a dire situation,’ says Chargé d’Affaires Kambiz Sheikh-Hassani, ‘cool heads should prevail’ By Donna Jacobs Iran has provoked widespread international concern over its controversial pursuit of nuclear power and its suspected pursuit of nuclear weapons. It is also criticized for its unjust imprisonment and execution of its citizens, including children, as well […]
Warfare without the shooting
The virulent, the violent and the vociferous: the Top 10 most political sporting events of modern times By Wolfgang Depner When athletes from around the world descend upon London this summer for the XXX Olympiad — July 27 to August 12 — audiences will likely hear their fair share about the ideals of cross-cultural […]
Confessions of a Canadian mentor in Afghanistan
Operation Attention — that’s us! Over here! Canada’s involvement in Afghanistan did not end with the conclusion of combat operations in the fall of 2011 — although much of the Canadian population thinks otherwise. It is not surprising really. Canadians are tired of their troops being in combat and calling them “mentors” is an easy […]
Military alliances: a primer
Why NATO, however ambiguous its role, is here to stay By David G. Haglund Alliances represent the most long-lived form of institutionalized security and defence cooperation that contemporary international states have ever known. In fact, they are even older than these states themselves — which, as a system of government, likely date back to 1648, […]
Sunrise over Yemen
By Khaled Bahah Ambassador of Yemen Yemen, an Arab country and one of the oldest centres of civilization, presides over one of the busiest and most crucial shipping routes in the world. Bordered by Saudi Arabia, the Red Sea, the Arabian Sea, the Gulf of Aden and Oman, it comprises more than 555,000 square kilometres […]
Dabaab’s dilemma
Kenya’s refugee camps, the largest in the world, are overcrowded. What to do? More than 100,000 Somalis have fled to Kenya in the past six months to escape a drought and famine that has decimated the East African country. They trek across barren, drought-ravaged, sand-covered land in blowing wind to do so. Then, they […]
Our Top 10 smallest countries in the world
These microstate countries have influenced or inspired their larger neighbours, through various means — economic muscle, political skill, environmental and moral leadership. Size matters. The reality is that the smallest sovereign states might not receive a whole lot of respect from the larger, more populous members of the international community. Many so-called microstates are […]
Ship shape
The federal government has awarded contracts worth $28 billion for the building of 28 vessels — naval warships and civilian (Coast Guard) ships both — that will modernize the country’s aging sea-faring fleet. Halifax- based Irving Shipbuilding Inc. will build the warships. Vancouver Shipyards Co. Ltd. will build the Coast Guard ships. The new vessels […]
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