Dispatches
China’s Red Sea ambitions
At the end of July, two very large crude oil tankers from Saudi Arabia were attacked with anti-ship missiles by Yemeni rebels from the eastern shore of the Red Sea, just north of the Bab el-Mandeb Strait. One of the tankers was damaged slightly in the stern. As a result, the Saudi government ordered a […]
Latin America: Seize the moment
As the destination for three-quarters of Canadian merchandise exports, and a little more than half of our services exports, the United States of America will remain Canada’s largest trading partner for the foreseeable future. However, events of the last several months emphasize the need for Canada to diversify its trade. The imperative to re-balance the […]
Africa: Unable to feed itself
Africa no longer feeds itself. Forty years ago, sub-Saharan Africa’s then 500 million people could grow enough staples — maize, wheat, rice, yams, cassava, sorghum, millet and the ancient grain known as teff — to keep most inhabitants free from hunger. But now there are about 1 billion sub-Saharan Africans and soon there will be […]
Securing food in uncertain times
Food security is the state when all people, at all times, have physical, social and economic access to sufficient, safe and nutritious food which meets their dietary needs and food preferences for an active and healthy life. Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), United Nations Food security is about more than subsistence, more than what people […]
Fleeing oppression in Turkey
ATHENS — A father runs across the park, his seven-year-old daughter in tow and all his worldly possessions crammed into two overloaded backpacks, one on each shoulder. In his pocket, he has tickets to Milan for which he paid 35 euros each. Why Milan? Because it was the cheapest European destination the day he bought the […]
Canada-CARICOM: Comfortable if complacent partners
In spite of many differences — notably in size and level of development — Canada and the Caribbean Community have had a long and comfortable friendship and an empathetic partnership. An example of the closeness: The Canadian-made soft drink, Canada Dry ginger ale, used to boast on its label that it was made “with Jamaican […]
Drivers and deficits in the Caribbean
This often-ignored region of the world has a lot to offer and a lot at stake. In this 10-part list, Wolfgang Depner looks at the good and the bad — and why the world should pay more attention to the region. These are, to say the least, interesting times for the Caribbean. The recent discovery […]
B7: Business minds meet
With Canada hosting the G7 this year, our country has a unique opportunity to shape the international priorities for some of the world’s largest economies. Although the media focus is primarily on the Leaders’ Summit and ministerial meetings, there is a wider community of stakeholders seeking to influence decisions made at the top levels. This […]
Can Ramaphosa save South Africa?
Cyril Ramaphosa is South Africa’s last best hope. Its new president inherits a series of complex and dangerous crises, and must rapidly rescue sub-Saharan Africa’s most advanced and modern country from two decades of wanton despoilment and depravity — or fail and see his nation fall fully into a yawning chasm of underdevelopment and despair. […]
Hope for hemispheric co-operation
Where in the world does one find the richest biodiversity, vast hectares of arable land and an abundance of fresh water? If you said the Americas, you would be correct. North America, South America, Central America and the Caribbean islands — the region of the Americas — is sometimes referred to as the potential “breadbasket” […]
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