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What comes to mind when you think of NATO? For many, it is military conflict or external geopolitical threats. However, security challenges are not confined to the battlefield. In Canada, the ongoing overdose crisis, driven largely by synthetic opioids such as fentanyl, has become a significant domestic security issue. Drug overdoses do not only affect Read More…
In this special report, Dorigen Gray examines how online incel communities function as self-reinforcing disinformation ecosystems that cultivate radicalization and legitimize violence. Drawing on an interview with extremism researcher Dr. Amarnath Amarasingam and an analysis of three Canadian cases of incel-motivated violence, she argues that the incel movement should be understood not simply as an online subculture, but as an evolving extremist ecosystem with implications for democratic resilience and national security. The report highlights the importance of addressing both the individual vulnerabilities that contribute to radicalization and the broader online environments that sustain it.
In the waters of the Mediterranean, a severe humanitarian crisis is unfolding in near-total silence. Human smuggling networks actively exploit unmonitored maritime zones by deploying transponder-less ghost boats. Migrants from North Africa, the Middle East, and South Asia pay thousands of dollars per ticket only to be pushed onto unequipped, one-way crafts intentionally stripped of Read More…
In 2023, more than 2,100 Canadian Armed Forces members were deployed across six provinces and territories for more than four months to assist Canada’s worst wildlife season in 30 years. Canada has increasingly integrated climate change into its defence strategy, recognizing it as a threat multiplier affecting military readiness, infrastructure resilience, Arctic security, and operational Read More…
NATO Mission Iraq seeks to include WPS in its longstanding operations. However, the recent killing of Iraqi-Canadian women’s rights activist Yanar Mohammed highlights that insecurity for women remains prominent in Iraq, as women’s rights lag in the face of continued instability. As it supports Iraq’s reconstruction, NATO Mission Iraq must undertake a renewed commitment to implement WPS across its operations, support a safe environment for women’s rights defenders and civil society, and foster sustainable peacebuilding and societal resilience.
NATO’s own reporting names Taiwan as a direct stake in European security and yet relations with Taipei remain limited, Anastasia Crook examines how NATO members can still build practical cooperation with Taiwan without waiting for a consensus to be reached on Taiwan’s status.
When the US and Israel launched strikes against Iran on the 28th of February, Iran not only retaliated through military actions in the region, but it also closed the Strait of Hormuz, sending shockwaves through the global economy. Located between Iran and the Arabian Peninsula, the Strait of Hormuz is a narrow maritime chokepoint connecting Read More…
When discussions turn to military strength, attention typically focuses on defence budgets, troop numbers, and advanced weapons systems. Far less attention is paid to the raw materials that make those capabilities possible. Critical minerals such as lithium, graphite, cobalt, nickel, and rare earth elements are essential components of everything from fighter aircraft and missile systems Read More…
What happens when fake news looks almost identical to the real thing? This article highlights how Russia’s Doppelganger disinformation campaigns use cloned news websites to make disinformation appear credible and familiar. Focusing on the 2024 European Parliament elections as a case study, it shows how these campaigns exploit existing concerns such as immigration, economic insecurity, and support for Ukraine to amplify divisions within Europe. More broadly, it considers how these tactics could shape future elections, influence public debate, and make collective action across the European Union and NATO more difficult.
In just over a year as Prime Minister, Mark Carney has drawn stark comparisons to his predecessor, Justin Trudeau. Canada has since committed to bolstering hard military power and trade diversification in response to a complex geostrategic environment, a stark departure from the values-based and progressive policy that was a hallmark of the Trudeau era. In this article, Isabelle Zhu argues that despite the explicit differences across Trudeau’s approach and the current government’s on foreign policy, there is actually substantial continuity as it pertains to Canada’s Feminist Foreign Policy (FFP) and the Women, Peace, and Security (WPS) agenda. Under Carney, Canada can continue to pursue its defence and security objectives through investments in WPS principles.