Four Myths About Russia0

• analyse
• 3 février 2014

The forthcoming Olympic Games in Sochi have served as a hook for Western commentators to indulge in a prolonged round of Russia-bashing. A collection of negative preconceptions about Russia continues to dominate discussions of that country. Four of them are …

In Face of Ukrainian Unrest, Doing Nothing is the Best Approach0

• analyse
• 24 janvier 2014

One of the strongest barriers to our understanding of world events is the tendency to view what happens in other countries as a sort of morality play in which good fights evil. This way of looking at the world encourages …

Russia is a Beacon of Sanity About Syria0

• analyse
• 10 septembre 2013

Published in the Ottawa Citizen, September 9, 2013

Russia-bashing and Putin-bashing, always fairly popular, have been much in fashion of late. Having lived for a while in Russia and before that the Soviet Union, as well as having devoted …

There is No ‘Sacred Duty’ to Canada’s Veterans0

• analyse
• 6 août 2013

Published in the Ottawa Citizen, Aug. 5, 2013

Seriously wounded soldiers should enjoy no special status or privilege with regard to medical care,” writes Michael Gross of Haifa University, who is probably the world’s leading authority on military medical …

How Not to Spend $75 Billion0

• analyse
• 6 juin 2013

Humanitarian motives are given as the justification for a whole series of foreign policy endeavours nowadays, from the most peaceful forms of foreign aid through to full-scale military invasion and occupation of foreign countries. How is that working out?  Two …

Where is Canada’s Ron Paul?0

• analyse
• 8 mars 2013

Ten years ago this month, almost the entire political establishment of the United States united in supporting the invasion of Iraq. On the political right, one lone voice stood out against it: the then Texas congressman Ron Paul. This weekend, …

‘Canada First’ Military Spending a Surrender to Bad Policy0

• analyse
• 14 février 2013

Published in the Globe and Mail, February 14, 2013

We have in this country a federal government that increasingly is engaged in trying to determine which business, which regions, which industries will succeed, and which will not, through a

Military Keynesianism: Wrong Then, Wrong Now0

• analyse
• 17 décembre 2012

In November 1906, the Russian Council of State Defence met to discuss its new naval shipbuilding plan, the centrepiece of which was a proposal to build two new battleships for the Baltic Fleet. Presenting the plan, the Naval Minister, Admiral …

Better Intelligence, Worse Policy0

• analyse
• 20 novembre 2012

Does secret intelligence make public policy worse? At a panel at the annual convention of the Association of Slavic, East European and Eurasian Studies this weekend, I learned something from one of my co-panelists which made me think that perhaps …

Bringing Russian ‘Liberal-Conservatism’ to the Fore0

• analyse
• 29 mars 2012

Russia is back in the news again this week, due to the overheard conversation between Presidents Medvedev and Obama about missile defence, and Mitt Romney’s subsequent denunciation of Russia as America’s “number one enemy”. Former presidential candidate Senator John McCain, …