Society, Culture, and Security

Canada’s Conundrum: Peace and Profits

Abstract: NATO’s recent discussion of arms control brings to light Canada’s role in the issue. Last year, NATO and the UN took part in the Eighth Biennial Meeting of State Parties to discuss how to combat the illicit sale of arms. During the meeting, the Deputy Director of Arms Control Directorate at the Political Affairs and Security Read More…

Sedrik Pocuch Women in Security

Saudi Arabia’s Appalling Record on Women’s Rights

The case of Rahaf Mohammed, who risked her life to flee Saudi Arabia in January, reminded the world that women in Saudi Arabia suffer from tremendous amounts of abuse and are willing to risk their lives in order to escape from violence at home. Women’s rights in Saudi Arabia are extremely limited compared to those Read More…

Basel Ammane Cyber Security and Emerging Threats

Does the New Saudi Reactor Justify Proliferation Fears?

In early April 2019, Saudi Arabia’s progress in constructing its first nuclear reactor with the assistance of Argentine firm INVAP was the subject of considerable media attention that speculated on the dangers of this development. This was made all the more alarming given the reported nuclear technological assistance to the kingdom that the American administration Read More…

NATO and Canada NATO Operations

A Tale of Two Salmans

Thirty years after the “Satanic Verses” controversy, the transnational threat to freedom of speech and the press is more acute than ever. The recent murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi – likely orchestrated by Saudi Arabia – is a case in point. So far, the pressure has been on Washington to punish Saudi Arabia, but Justin Dell argues that this issue is too combustable to be left to bilateral relations. What is needed is a broader multilateral approach, first to holding Saudi Arabia responsible for Khashoggi’s murder, and then to uphold the universal values of freedom of speech and expression. Only then can some kind of justice be obtained without risking the further destabilization of the Middle East.

Diplomatic Relations Expanding Community Lee Williamson Saudi Arabia Society, Culture, and Security

What the Canada-Saudi Arabia Dispute Reveals About Canada’s Allies

On September 26, in the latest development in the ongoing diplomatic row between Canada and Saudi Arabia, the Saudi foreign minister, Adel Al-Juebir, asked that Canada stop treating his country “like a banana republic.” Al-Juebir repeated demands that the Government of Canada apologize for its August 2018 Tweets which called for the release of a Read More…

Cyber Security and Emerging Threats Nasser Haidar

The Parallel State: Hezbollah And Its Replicas

From a local southern Lebanese guerrilla force to a huge regional player, Hezbollah has made many friends and foes. It’s implications for the Lebanese state, to states where similar replica are now emerging, the militia force has come to represent a rising theme and issue in the Middle East: the militia and it’s parallel state.