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The Middle East and North Africa

Intervention in Syria: A Just War?

By: Joelle Ferreira Since the beginning of March 2011, revolts in Syria have rapidly worsened. Last month, Navi Pillay, the United Nations High Commissioner of Human Rights delivered a disturbing report regarding Syria. Her testimony to the United Nations Security Council portrays a turbulent picture. Since December 2, over 200 people have been killed: altogether Read More…

Asia-Pacific Kavita Bapat

Rebranding Burma

By: Kavita Bapat Friday 18 November marked a decisive shift in Burma’s long-isolated  history, as its main opposition leader Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi, agreed to rejoin the country’s political system and US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton became the first high-ranking American official to visit the Southeast Asian nation in over 50 years. Read More…

Eastern Europe and Russia Simon Miles

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…

Africa James M. Bridger Terrorism

Emboldened al-Qaeda Offshoot Prompts Western Action

Once considered a quiet front in the global “War on Terror,” the Sahel region of North Africa has become an area of increasing concern for Western governments. Emboldened by mercenaries and heavy weapons crossing out of Libya, al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) has engaged in a spree of kidnappings and attacks, prompting Canada, the Read More…

Canada NATO and Canada

NATO’s Parliamentarians – Part III

By: Ryerson Neal   Glenn Thibeault is the NDP Member of Parliament for Sudbury. He serves as Critic for Consumer Protection and Amateur Sport. In October he attended his first session of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly in Bucharest, Romania.   Q. What got you interested in the parliamentary side of NATO? A. I’ve always had Read More…

Canada NATO and Canada

NATO’s Parliamentarians – Part II

By: Ryerson Neal In October, the NATO Parliamentary Assembly met for its 57th Annual Plenary in Bucharest, Romania. The Assembly is an inter-parliamentary organization composed of legislators from NATO members and associate countries. It acts as a forum for legislators to exchange views and discuss defence and security matters. Throughout the year, the Canadian NATO Read More…

Canada NATO and Canada

A Conversation with Senator Joseph Day, Chair of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly Defence and Security Committee

By: Ryerson Neal Sen. Joseph Day has represented Saint John – Kennebecasis, New Brunswick, in the Canadian Senate since 2001. He is a member of the Canadian NATO Parliamentary Association and takes a keen interest in defence issues. In October, he was part of the Canadian delegation to the NATO Parliamentary Assembly in Bucharest, Romania. Read More…

Cyber Security and Emerging Threats Eastern Europe and Russia Simon Miles Western Europe

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 Middle East and North Africa

Yemen’s Saleh: Really Gone for Good?

By: Nabila F. Qureshi After 33 years of autocratic rule, Yemen’s President Ali Abdullah Saleh signed an agreement on Wednesday to step down. The deal, brokered by the Gulf Co-operation Council and the United Nations, will allow for the Yemeni vice-president to negotiate a power transfer to the opposition, making Saleh the fourth leader to Read More…