Rights to What Purpose? Free Speech and the U.S. Gun Control Debate0

• analyse
• 12 novembre 2013

This past week saw a fascinating moment in the debate over guns and constitutional rights that so scars America. The cause was a gentleman named Richard (‘Dick’) Metcalf. A ‘pro gun’ advocate and lobbyist, Metcalf has written op-eds and articles …

Forget the Public Diplomacy, Iran and the U.S. Have a Long Road Ahead0

• analyse
• 26 septembre 2013

Published  in the Globe and Mail, September 26, 2013.

The past weeks have seen a shift in Iran-U.S. relations. Instead of the usual bombast we are seeing measured, even respectful points from the two presidents. We hear that Iran’s …

The ‘Rouhani Moment’ in Iran0

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• 14 août 2013

Published on the IISS blog Politics and Strategy, August 14, 2013

Amid the relief, if not the fanfare, which has greeted Hassan Rouhani’s surprise election as President of the Islamic Republic of Iran, one hears a constant strain of …

‘Shocked and Appalled’: Responses to an Op-Ed0

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• 2 août 2013

As a writer of opinion pieces, I am used to receiving messages about them. Most are negative; people who agree with you are less likely to take the time to write something than those who don’t. But that’s OK. The …

What’s Next After Iran’s Surprise Election Result?0

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• 17 juin 2013

Published in the Globe and Mail, June 16, 2013

The Iranian electorate has surprised us. Most Iran experts (mea culpa – me too) had confidently expected that Hassan Rouhani had little chance of victory. But then he won. …

Ayatollah Khamenei’s Slow-Motion Power Grab0

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• 29 mai 2013

Published in the Globe and Mail, May 28, 2013

The field has been set for the June 14 presidential election in Iran. The list of approved candidates to replace Mahmoud Ahmadinejad tells us a lot about where the country …

A Chink in the Harper Narrative?0

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• 21 mai 2013

For many years Stephen Harper has carefully honed a narrative. It runs like this: “You may not like me personally, but you know in your heart that I am a good steward of the public purse, and that I am …

Let North Korea Test a Missile0

• analyse
• 12 avril 2013

Publié dans le Globe and Mail, le 2 avril 2013.

A curious dynamic has seized the world in the past week concerning the latest iteration of  North Korea’s ongoing game of blackmail by brinkmanship. The North, a failed state …

Rewriting the History of Iraq0

• analyse
• 2 avril 2013

The recent 10 year anniversary of the Iraq war brought forth a flood of retrospective analyses, many dedicated to answering the vexed question of whether it was worth it. In reading them, one is struck by the arguments of those …