As opposition to Canada’s combat mission in Afghanistan grows, support for Canada’s traditional role as a peacekeeping nation is on the rise. In an article he wrote for the Toronto Star, Eugene Lang, former chief of staff to two ministers of national defence, states that “…the allure of non-violent peacekeeping does not correspond to the realities of today’s UN missions.” While this is valid […]
Archive | February, 2009
Collision of nuclear submarines a frightening reminder
Last week, two nuclear submarines, armed with ballistic missiles, collided in the Atlantic ocean – the first revelation of such a collision since the end of the Cold War. Mike Wallace, Professor Emeritus at the University of British Columbia and a Senior Advisor to the Rideau Institute, provides the following analysis of the incident: “The recent collision between a British […]
President Obama to release full cost of wars in Iraq and Afghanistan
If you caught President Obama’s first address to Congress last night, you may have noticed that he pledged to release the full cost of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan in this year’s budget. This is something the Bush administration refused to do and something our own Canadian government has not done for the war in Afghanistan. In October of 2008, the Rideau […]
Saying No to Obama, Politely – an article by Steven Staples and Michael Byers
In the lead up to President Obama’s visit to Ottawa last week, Steven Staples wrote the following Oped with Michael Byers outlining how Canada can contribute in Afghanistan beyond 2011, while still withdrawing our troops. Today, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton will be meeting with her Canadian counterpart, Foreign Affairs Minister Lawrence Cannon. If the Harper government wants to build on Obama’s […]