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Society, Culture, and Security Victoria Clennan

Is the U.S. President now Beyond a King?

It is not shocking to say that the United States’ democratic system is in a precarious state. The criminal charges brought against former president Donald Trump for conspiring to defraud the United States and its citizens (amongst other charges), and the ensuing controversy, showed just how politically divided the nation is. That is, until July Read More…

Clara Lachman Society, Culture, and Security

The Countdown to Y2Q

In 1947, a clock started counting down the minutes until nuclear conflict would cause the demise of humanity. Known as the Doomsday Clock, the symbol quickly permeated popular culture and raised awareness of the threat of nuclear annihilation. Since its inception, the Clock has gone on to include other threats including the development of artificial Read More…

Indo-Pacific and NATO Jackob Nicolas

The Importance of Taiwanese Sovereignty: Beyond Economics and Military Strategy

Recent media coverage of the West’s involvement in mitigating tensions between China and Taiwan has generally focused on the same handful of questions: Has China increased its aerial and naval drills near Taiwan’s shores, and why? What is the likelihood of a direct military conflict between the United States and China over Taiwan’s sovereignty? What Read More…

Jackob Nicolas Society, Culture, and Security

NATO’s Fate Under a Second Trump Presidency: Arguments Against Hopelessness and Fatalism

In many NATO member states, the United States’ impending presidential election is a major source of uncertainty and anxiety. Donald Trump’s recent comments at a campaign rally in South Carolina, suggesting that he would encourage the Russians to “do whatever the hell they want” to NATO allies that did not meet the alliance’s 2% of Read More…

Clara Lachman Society, Culture, and Security

Summit of the Future: What to Know

On July 1, 1944, 730 delegates from 44 nations convened at the Mount Washington Hotel in Bretton Woods, New Hampshire to discuss a path of recovery following the tragedies of the Great Depression and the Second World War. With attendance from Allied countries, including Canada, the United Kingdom, the United States, India, and China, delegates Read More…

Jake Rooke Security, Trade and the Economy

Bridging Shortfalls: An Analysis of the Strategic Exchange between Russia and Iran    

Amidst the tumult of conflict in Ukraine and instability in the Middle East, the partnership between Russia and Iran is at a historic juncture and is ripe for potential multifaceted cooperation. With Western sanctions, defence production and supply vulnerabilities persist for both these states, which seek to advance their respective interests and authoritarian model of Read More…

NATO and Canada Victoria Clennan

NATO’s 2% Spending Minimum. Will Canada Ever Make It?

On April 8th, 2024, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced a new federal investment plan in defence spending for the 2024 federal budget. The “Our North: Strong and Free” defence policy update proposed to raise Canada’s defence spending-to-GDP ratio to 1.76% by 2029-30, amounting to $8.1 billion over five years, and $73 billion over 20 years, in new Read More…

Erik Anderson NATO and Canada

To CFIS or not CFIS: Canada’s Foreign Intelligence Service Quandary

The question of whether Canada needs a foreign intelligence service is not a new one. It’s been bandied about almost as long as Canada has had a domestic intelligence service. Created by an Act of Parliament in 1984, the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) was mandated only to include the collection of data and information Read More…

Gleb Adamovych Society, Culture, and Security

Polarization Blues

Despite the world being interconnected in a way it has never been, civilization finds itself torn apart by civil strife and disagreement. “Polarization” is the word of the day, and it has hit Canada hard. Recent years have seen the issue reflected in the rise of hate crimes, distrust of the government, and general violence. Read More…