By Simon A. Miles The recent laying of charges against naval intelligence officer Sub-Lieutenant Jeffrey Paul Delisle has sent the Canadian news media into a tizzy, reminiscent of Cold War intrigue. At the time of his arrest, Delisle was working as a naval intelligence officer with HMCS Trinity in Halifax. The Department of National Defense Read More…
Simon Miles
Storm Brewing over Mistral Sale to Russia
By: Simon Miles It has long been acknowledged that Russia possesses a powerful military; but equally broadly accepted that it is in dire need of modernization. Of late, the Russian government of Dmitri Medvedev and Vladimir Putin has been taking steps to rectify this defect and bring the Russian military in line with the standard Read More…
Putin Equivocates His Way to Reform
By Simon A. Miles Following the spate of political protests which transpired in Russia during late 2011, many in the West have wondered what the Putin regime’s response would be. In an earlier article, I argued that Putin would not play the role of Nicholas II in this turbulent time. Recent events have borne this Read More…
Putin on the Precipice
By: Simon A. Miles This round of Russian elections were not intended to produce a surprise result. A “managed democracy” such as Russia with its hobbled opposition, muzzled media, and rampant vote rigging is by its very nature supposed to hand sizeable victories to the ruling party: Vladimir Putin’s United Russia. However, the Duma (parliamentary) Read More…
A Modern Missile Gap
By: Simon Miles Russia will deploy its own missiles, with enhanced missile defence penetration technology, if the US and NATO do not halt in their project for a pan-European missile defence network, President Dimitri Medvedev warned. Furthermore, the western enclave of Kaliningrad will be host to a new arsenal of tactical weapons. With obvious relish, Read More…
The International Implications of a Socialist Victory in France
By: Simon Miles France’s socialist party last prevailed in the 1988 presidential election, won by François Mitterand (the incumbent) by a solid majority. Now, in the run-up to the 2012 elections, many French Socialists hope to repeat that success with François Hollande at the helm. This electoral cycle saw the Parti Socialiste (PS) engage in Read More…
NATO’s Future Role in the Abkhazia Dispute
By: Simon A. Miles Following the 2008 war between Russia and Georgia, President Dmitry Medvedev of Russia declared the Georgian breakaway republics of South Ossetia and Abkhazia, and even Georgia itself, to be within Russia’s sphere of influence. Though Russia has deescalated to a war of words, the dispute over Abkhazia remains an important concern Read More…
A War for Oil?
Dr. Dmitri Rogozin, the Permanent Representative of the Russian Federation to NATO, takes aim at the Alliance’s humanitarian intervention in Libya.