Jan
16
4:00 PM16:00

Unpredictable America: Donald Trump and the Future of American Foreign Policy

  • Campbell Conference Facility (map)
  • Google Calendar ICS

In his first presidential term, Donald Trump heralded the arrival of an “America First” foreign policy that would critically examine and scale back the commitments and responsibilities America had taken on as a world power, and focus directly on promoting America’s national interest.  As he comes back to the White House, what type of foreign policy will Trump 2.0 carry out?  How will America’s allies and adversaries react?  This talk will attempt to provide some answers, recognizing the uncertainty and unpredictability characteristic of Trump’s decision-making style.

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Jan
22
4:00 PM16:00

Book Launch: Tommy Douglas and the Quest for Medicare in Canada

  • Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy (map)
  • Google Calendar ICS

There was an important international context in which Tommy Douglas formulated and implemented his plans for universal health coverage in Canada while premier of Saskatchewan from 1944 until 1961. While much of the narrative in Gregory Marchildon’s Tommy Douglas and the Quest for Medicare in Canada focuses on domestic politics and policy, international politics and policy played a central but overlooked role at critical points.

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Nov
27
4:00 PM16:00

For and Against the Abolition of Nuclear Weapons

  • Trinity College Combination Room (map)
  • Google Calendar ICS

With the award of the 2024 Nobel Peace Prize to the antinuclear group Nihon Hidankyo and discussion of the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, this is a fitting time to discuss the arguments for and against the abolition of nuclear weapons. Florian Eblenkamp, Advocacy Officer of the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons and Jack Cunningham, Program Coordinator of the Bill Graham Centre for Contemporary International History offer contending perspectives, followed by a Q&A and general discussion.

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Nov
13
4:00 PM16:00

Book Launch: Canada First, Not Canada Alone

  • Vivian and David Campbell Conference Facility (map)
  • Google Calendar ICS

This book traces the history of Canadian foreign policy from a time when positioning Canada First meant shunning international obligations to today. It highlights key decisions taken and not taken in Ottawa that have shaped Canadians' safety, security, and prosperity over the last one hundred years. Case studies focused on environmental reform, Indigenous peoples, trade, hostage diplomacy, and wartime strategy illustrate the breadth of issues that shape contemporary Canada's global realm.

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Nov
7
4:00 PM16:00

A World Without War: Utopian Dream or Pragmatic Necessity?

Dr. Sundeep Waslekar will argue that we live in the most dangerous epoch in the history of human civilization. With the fires spreading in Ukraine, the Middle East, Africa, and East Asia, and an escalating arms race in killer robots, hypersonic missiles, and deadly pathogens, is the world sleep walking into a global catastrophic war that will annihilate the human race? He will then proceed to propose a global social contract, a blueprint for multilateral reform, and a framework for reorienting global governance which will enable a paradigm shift to make lasting peace a reality.

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Nov
1
to Nov 2

Conference: Canada, Kosovo, and the Kosovar Refugee Diaspora 25 Years On

  • Campbell Conference Facility (map)
  • Google Calendar ICS

The 25th anniversary of the arrival of Kosovar Albanians to Canada and Canada’s military and diplomatic involvement in Kosovo presents a special opportunity to revisit Canada’s unique humanitarian undertaking in 1999. To commemorate this event, a two-day symposium will be held which will bring together academics, immigration officials, policymakers, politicians, private citizens, representatives from aid organizations, as well as members of the Kosovar Albanian community.

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Oct
23
4:00 PM16:00

Unwinnable Peace: Untold Stories of Canada’s Mission in Afghanistan, by Tim Martin

  • Campbell Conference Facility (map)
  • Google Calendar ICS

Canada’s longest war (2001-2014) pushed military, diplomatic, development and humanitarian organizations to their limits. Was it all in vain?

Based on interviews with twenty-one key decision-makers and participants, many of whom are speaking publicly for the first time, Unwinnable Peace recounts the personal and professional challenges faced by individuals deeply committed to securing and rebuilding Kandahar province.

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Oct
8
to Oct 9

Associated Event: Couchiching Annual Conference on Diplomacy

You’re invited to the Annual Couchiching Conference on October 8-9, 2024 at the Aga Khan Museum in Toronto, Ontario in the beautiful Nanji Family Foundation Auditorium.

The Couchiching Conference, co-hosted by the Canadian International Council (CIC) and in partnership with the Aga Khan Museum, aims to foster an inclusive dialogue on the evolving role of diplomacy on the international stage. This event will provide a platform for citizens, journalists, academics, and students to engage in meaningful discussions on international affairs, reflecting our shared mission to give Canadians a voice in global matters.

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Sep
30
4:00 PM16:00

Virtual Book Talk: Disruption, by Michael De Groot

In Disruption, Michael De Groot argues that the global economic upheaval of the 1970s was decisive in ending the Cold War. Both the West and the Soviet bloc struggled with the slowdown of economic growth; chaos in the international monetary system; inflation; shocks in the commodities markets; and the emergence of offshore financial markets. The superpowers had previously disseminated resources to their allies to enhance their own national security, but the disappearance of postwar conditions during the 1970s forced Washington and Moscow to choose between promoting their own economic interests and supporting their partners in Europe and Asia.

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Sep
18
2:00 PM14:00

Three Years Since the Taliban Takeover: Security Threats, Humanitarian Crisis, and the Fight for Freedom

Join us on September 18th from 2:00 PM to 5:00 PM at the Munk School (University of Toronto) for an in-depth exploration of the ongoing challenges and emerging threats in Afghanistan, three years after the Taliban's return to power. This event will feature two comprehensive sessions, each focusing on critical themes and featuring distinguished speakers.

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Jun
4
4:00 PM16:00

Associated Event - Democracy & Diplomacy: Canada-Germany Collaboration for EU Stability

Associated Event:

Democracy & Diplomacy: Canada-Germany Collaboration for EU Stability

with Peter Hefele, John Kirton, Madeline Koch, Mary Janigan, and Jorge Caicedo

Date: Tuesday, June 4, 2024

Time: 4:30 pm-6 pm, EST

Cost: Free

Location: Faculty Club | 41 Wilcocks Street, Toronto M5S 3G3

The event will feature a panel discussion and fireside chat, followed by a reception for all attendees (no cost, free refreshments).

The discussion will be based on the Panorama Report 2024 published by the Konrad Adenauer Stiftung, which provides a comprehensive insight into the current development of the European Union and its environment in a year-on-year comparison. The analysis presents a multi-thematic assessment of the current situation in the areas of innovation and competitiveness, the attitudes of member states towards the EU, and the global environment. By using qualitative and quantitative indicators, the analysis provides sound insights into current trends and developments.

 

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The Hon. Chrystia Freeland in conversation with Martin Wolf, CBE
Apr
25
6:00 PM18:00

The Hon. Chrystia Freeland in conversation with Martin Wolf, CBE

 
 

The Hon. Chrystia Freeland in conversation with Martin Wolf, CBE

Date: Thursday, April 25, 2024

Time: 6:00 pm-7:00 pm, EST

Location: TD Music Hall (178 Victoria St, Toronto M5B 1T6)

 

Chrystia Freeland

Martin Wolf

 

About the Event:

The Canadian International Council’s Toronto branch is delighted to host a conversation with The Honourable Chrystia Freeland, Minister of Finance and Deputy Prime Minister of Canada, and Martin Wolf, Chief Economics Commentator at the Financial Times.

One of Canada's most influential political figures today, The Hon. Chrystia Freeland comes to Toronto for an exclusive discussion co-sponsored with the CIC National Branch, the Canadian Narrative Fund and the Canada Difference Project at Trent University. She will be joined by Martin Wolf from London, UK, acclaimed Financial Times journalist awarded Commander of the British Empire (CBE) in 2000 and author of The Crisis of Democratic Capitalism.

 
 
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Apr
22
4:30 PM16:30

The Unfinished Quest: India's Search for Major Power Status from Nehru to Modi

  • Trinity College Combination Room (map)
  • Google Calendar ICS

Book Talk

The Unfinished Quest: India’s Search for Major Power Status from Nehru to Modi

by Professor T.V. Paul

Date: Monday, April 22, 2024

Time: 4:30 pm-6 pm, Toronto time

Location: Trinity College Combination Room, 6 Hoskin Ave, Toronto ON M5S 1H8

Registration is now closed.

About the Book

Along with the meteoric rise of China, there has been much interest in the emergence of India, as a rising power with one of the fastest growing economies in the world, until the 2019 Pandemic crisis. The rapidly developing US-China rivalry gives India an added importance in world politics today as India is the most significant swing power that can help balance China’s potentially aggressive rise in the Indo-Pacific region. Further, the strengthening of Hindu nationalism under Narendra Modi, who has been making strong attempts to emerge India as a leading power while at the same time taking populist postures internally and using international status enhancement for electoral victory, evokes global interest. The dynamics of international status in domestic political contestation has not obtained much attention in the extant literature.  Now that we have some three decades of data on India’s economic and military growth, we can make a better assessment of the achievements and shortcomings in comparison with others, especially China. 

This book differs   in its focus on  status perspective which is often missing in  popular books on India’s rise, as scholars and journalists who write about India tend to neglect this important socio-political concept. The book combines scholarly insights and interesting anecdotes on international status, a topic that has seen advancement in the sociology and international relations literature in recent years.    While India in its 75-year existence as an independent state, has achieved much in fulfilling the dreams of Nehru and his successors in obtaining major power status, this book seeks to understand why the quest is still unfinished. Why does India and its leadership believe that the country has a destiny to rise as a global power? What are the hard and soft power markers that encourage them to think this way? Despite their stated and unstated ambitions, why haven’t the larger bureaucratic and political elite worked sufficiently to achieve this goal? What are the external and internal constraints in this pursuit and the opportunities that India may have both obtained and missed? Finally, what does the future hold for India’s status elevation? The book argues that the key challenge for obtaining a sustained global status is India's low human development indices. The development of an inclusive, tolerant democracy that can utilize its most priced asset, the demographic dividend, will be essential for India to gain greater international status and influence in the 21st century.

About the Author

T.V. Paul is Distinguished James McGill Professor in the Department of Political Science at McGill University, Montreal, Canada and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada. He served as the President of International Studies Association (ISA) for 2016-17. He is the Founding Director of the Global Research Network on Peaceful Change (GRENPEC). Paul is the author or editor of 23 books and over 80 scholarly articles/book chapters in the fields of International Relations, International Security, and South Asia. He is the author of the books: The Unfinished Quest: India’s Search for Major Power Status from Nehru to Modi (Oxford University Press, forthcoming, 2024); Restraining Great Powers: Soft Balancing from Empires to the Global Era (Yale University Press, 2018); The Warrior State: Pakistan in the Contemporary World (Oxford University Press, 2013); Globalization and the National Security State (with N. Ripsman, Oxford University Press, 2010); The Tradition of Non-use of Nuclear Weapons (Stanford University Press, 2009); India in the World Order: Searching for Major Power Status (with B.R. Nayar Cambridge University Press, 2002); Power versus Prudence: Why Nations Forgo Nuclear Weapons (McGill-Queen’s University Press, 2000); and Asymmetric Conflicts: War Initiation by Weaker Powers (Cambridge University Press, 1994).  He is the lead editor of the Oxford Handbook of Peaceful Change in International Relations (Oxford University Press, 2021). Paul currently serves as the editor of the Georgetown University Press book series: South Asia in World Affairs. For more, see: www.tvpaul.com

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Apr
17
4:00 PM16:00

A Conversation About India

  • Trinity College Combination Room (map)
  • Google Calendar ICS

What is the state of the World's largest democracy in the time of Narendra Modi and BJP rule? What can we expect after the current Indian general elections?  Eminent political scientist and former Assistant Secretary General of the UN Ramesh Thakur and longtime Toronto Star editorial editor Haroon Siddiqui discuss these questions in the Trinity College Combination Room, on August 17, 4-6 pm.

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Apr
5
9:00 AM09:00

Personalities, Institutions, & Illusions in Canadian History - An Event in Honour of Professor Robert Bothwell


Personalities, Institutions, & Illusions in Canadian History

AN ACADEMIC AND SOCIAL EVENT IN HONOUR OF PROFESSOR ROBERT BOTHWELL

Date: Friday, April 5, 2024

Time: 9 am - 5 pm, EST

Location: Campbell Conference Facility, Munk School, 1 Devonshire Place, Toronto ON M5S 3K7

About the Event

This full-day event honoured Professor Robert Bothwell, who taught for more than 50 years in the University of Toronto History Department and served as Director of the International Relations Program at Trinity College. Watch the event recordings below to hear how Prof. Bothwell’s work inspired generations of students. The event featured panel discussions touching on Bob’s works, research interests, and legacy, with panel discussions, a keynote address by Margaret MacMillan, long-time colleague of Bob and former Provost of Trinity College, and a conversation with Bob himself.

Agenda:

  • 9:00 AM – 9:15 AM: Welcome & Introduction

  • 9:15 AM – 10:15 AM: Panel #1 – Francine McKenzie (University of Western Ontario), Patricia McMahon (Torys LLP), Roger Sarty (Wilfrid Laurier University)

  • 10:15 AM – 10:45 AM: Coffee Break

  • 10:45 AM – 11:45 AM: Panel #2 – Norman Hillmer (Carleton University), Susan Armstrong-Reid (University of Guelph), Michael Carroll (MacEwan University)

  • 11:45 AM – 12:30 PM: Panel #3 – Jennifer Bonder (University of Toronto), Kathleen Rasmussen (US Department of State)

  • 12:30 PM – 1:30 PM: Lunch

  • 1:30 PM – 2:15 PM: Keynote Address – Margaret MacMillan (University of Toronto)

  • 2:15 PM – 3:15 PM: Panel #4 – Adam Chapnick (Canadian Forces College/Royal Military College), Susan Colbourn (Duke University), John English (University of Toronto)

  • 3:15 PM – 3:45 PM: Coffee Break

  • 3:45 PM – 4:45 PM: Bob Bothwell in Conversation with John Meehan (Bill Graham Centre for Contemporary International History, Trinity College)

  • 4:45 PM – 5:00 PM: Concluding Remarks


Watch the event:

Personalities, Institutions , & Illusions in Canadian History – Welcome and Panel 1

Personalities, Institutions , & Illusions in Canadian History – Panel 2

Personalities, Institutions , & Illusions in Canadian History – Panel 3

Personalities, Institutions , & Illusions in Canadian History – Keynote Address

Personalities, Institutions , & Illusions in Canadian History – Panel 4

Personalities, Institutions , & Illusions in Canadian History – Bob Bothwell in Conversation

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Mar
13
4:00 PM16:00

Book Talk: War, Work, and Want, by Randall Hansen

  • Campbell Conference Facility, Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy (map)
  • Google Calendar ICS

War, Work & Want asks why global migration, which should have fallen after 1970, tripled over the next fifty years.

Hansen argues that the OPEC oil crisis unleashed economic and geopolitical changes that led to over 100 million unexpected migrants. The quadrupling of oil prices permanently halved economic growth in the West, leading to a five-decade stagnation in wages.

The middle classes responded by rebuilding their inflation-shattered standards of living on the back of cheap migrant labour, leading to millions of low-skilled migrants – documented and undocumented.

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Mar
6
4:00 PM16:00

Cold War 2.0: Artificial Intelligence in the New Battle Between China, Russia, and America, by George S. Takach

  • Campbell Conference Facility, Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy (map)
  • Google Calendar ICS

About the Event

George S. Takach will discuss some of the key themes of his new book, including: what it means for the democracies and the autocracies to be in a cold war, especially one that is technologically driven; why the democracies do technology and innovation better than the autocracies; and what the democracies have to do to leverage their edge in technology and innovation in order to prevail in Cold War 2.0.

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Elections Marathon in a Turbulent World, with Helen Clark
Feb
28
4:00 PM16:00

Elections Marathon in a Turbulent World, with Helen Clark

  • Cambell Conference Facility, Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy (map)
  • Google Calendar ICS

Helen Clark was Prime Minister of New Zealand from 1999-2008, and has also been Administrator of the United Nations Development Program and  Chair of the United Nations Development Group. She is Chair of the Global Leadership Foundation, and a member of The Elders, a group of former political leaders founded by Nelson Mandela in 2007. She has extensive experience in issues of development, sustainability, and the promotion of democracy.

Helen Clark will be introduced by the Rt. Hon. Joe Clark, former Canadian Prime Minister, Minister of Foreign Affairs, and Minister of Constitutional Affairs.  

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Feb
14
4:00 PM16:00

Virtual Book Launch: Deterrence in the 21st Century: Statecraft in the Information Age

Virtual Book Launch

Deterrence in the 21st Century: Statecraft in the Information Age

With Eric Ouellet, Adam B. Lowther, Anthony B. Seaboyer, and Sarah Jane Meharg

Date: Wednesday, February 14, 2024

Time: 4-6 pm, Toronto time

Location: Online via Zoom


The information age has opened a new front of adversarial statecraft. Deterrence in the 21st Century asks how, and if it is indeed possible, to deter an enemy in the realm of information warfare. Bringing together some of the most respected analysts working today, Deterrence in the 21st Century looks beyond the technical aspects of the use of information and disinformation as adversarial statecraft to seek new avenues to deter the undermining of institutions and societies. This is a thorough, thoughtful, and expert analysis of one of the most difficult and essential security challenges of our time.

Sponsored by the Bill Graham Centre for Contemporary International History

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Feb
7
4:00 PM16:00

The Changing Role of Media Covering Contemporary Warfare

  • Seeley Hall, Trinity College (map)
  • Google Calendar ICS
 

Image Credit: RAWPIXEL/Public Domain

 

The Changing Role of Media Covering Contemporary Warfare

A talk by former CNN correspondent Ralph Begleiter

Date: Wednesday, February 7, 2024

Time: 4-6 pm, Toronto time

Location: Seeley Hall, Trinity College, University of Toronto, 6 Hoskin Ave, Toronto, ON M5S 1H8

View the event poster here.


Ralph Betleiger

Former CNN World Affairs Correspondent and educator Ralph Begleiter explores the changing role of news media covering contemporary warfare, using the Ukraine and Gaza wars as real-world examples.

Telling the “war” story, the “humanitarian” story and the “political” story are different skills, and few organizations are equipped for those roles. While social media have become indispensable in collecting details, they also reveal serious shortcomings when it comes to fairly telling the comprehensive story.


Register Here:


Sponsored by the Bill Graham Centre, the International Relations Program at Trinity College, and the Canadian International Council

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Feb
1
4:00 PM16:00

Canadian Diplomacy in a Troubled World

  • Campbell Conference Facility, Munk School (map)
  • Google Calendar ICS

On December 6, 2023, the Senate Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs and International Trade released a report, "More than a Vocation: Canada's Need for a 21st Century Foreign Service", the first substantive examination of the Canadian foreign service since 1981. Join Committee chair Sen. Peter M. Boehm for a discussion of the report, and the challenges confronting Canada's foreign service as it deals with an increasingly troubled world.  

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Jan
24
4:00 PM16:00

Book Talk: The Concertation Impulse in World Politics by Andrew F. Cooper

  • Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy (map)
  • Google Calendar ICS

Political Scientist Andrew F. Cooper discusses his forthcoming book, The Contestation Impulse in World Politics.

This book unravels the centrality of contestation over international institutions under the shadow of crisis. Breaking with the widely accepted image in the mainstream, US-centric literature of an advance of global governance supported by pillars of institutionalized formality, Andrew F. Cooper points to the retention of a habitual impulse towards concertation related to informal institutionalism.

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Jan
19
4:00 PM16:00

Book Talk: The International Legal Order’s Colour Line

  • Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy (map)
  • Google Calendar ICS

The International Legal Order's Colour Line (Oxford UP, 2023) narrates this divide and charts the development of regulation on racism and racial discrimination at the international level, principally within the United Nations. Most notably, it outlines how these themes gained traction once the Global South gained more participation in international law-making after the First World War. It challenges the narrative that human rights are a creation of the Global North by focussing on the decisive contributions that countries of the Global South and people of colour made to anchor anti-racism in international law.  The International Legal Order's Colour Line provides a comprehensive history and compelling new approach to the history of human rights law.

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Nov
20
4:00 PM16:00

Book Launch: Not Here, by Rob Goodman

What does it mean to live beside an eroding democracy? As this powerful and timely book argues, that question will define the next generation of Canadian politics.

As a congressional staffer in the United States, Rob Goodman watched firsthand as a rising authoritarian movement disenfranchised voters, sabotaged institutions, and brought America to the brink of a coup. Now, as a political theorist who makes his home in Canada, he has an urgent warning for his adopted country: The same forces that have upended democracy in America and around the world are on the move in Canada, too. But we can protect our democracy by drawing on a set of political, cultural, and historical resources that are distinctly of this place.

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Nov
16
4:00 PM16:00

(Mis)understanding Russia: A Diplomat's Reflections

Can history help us to understand the disastrous state of Russia’s relations with the West in 2023?  Leigh Sarty suggests that it can, drawing on his experience as a student, a scholar, and a diplomat over more than four decades to describe some of the key turning points and deeper structural forces that make contemporary Putinism more intelligible.

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Overcoming Challenges to a Peaceful and Prosperous International Order: A Proactive Role for the G7
Nov
2
1:00 PM13:00

Overcoming Challenges to a Peaceful and Prosperous International Order: A Proactive Role for the G7

  • Campbell Conference Facility, Munk School (map)
  • Google Calendar ICS

In this symposium, a distinguished group of speakers will offer their insights about global challenges and potential solutions in the domains of international security, economic relations, and societal transformation. The symposium will consider the role that Japan, Canada, and the United States can play along with other G7 partners in confronting global challenges, building on the progress of the Hiroshima G7 meeting in May 2023.

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Accessing Historic Records on Intelligence and International Affairs
Oct
20
8:30 AM08:30

Accessing Historic Records on Intelligence and International Affairs

  • Alfred Pellan Room (2nd Floor) (map)
  • Google Calendar ICS

A discussion of potential solutions to the challenges of accessing historic records via Canada’s current Access to Information system.

This event is presented by the Canadian Foreign Intelligence History Project (https://www.csids.ca/canadian-foreign-intelligence-policy-project).

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Oct
12
12:00 PM12:00

Natural Allies: Environment, Energy, and the History of US-Canada Relations, by Daniel Macfarlane

  • Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy (map)
  • Google Calendar ICS

Natural Allies looks at the history of US-Canada relations through an environmental lens. From fisheries in the late nineteenth century to oil pipelines in the twenty-first century, Daniel Macfarlane recounts the scores of transborder environmental and energy arrangements made between the two nations. Many became global precedents that influenced international environmental law, governance, and politics, including the Boundary Waters Treaty, the Trail Smelter case, hydroelectric megaprojects, and the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreements. In addition to water, fish, wood, minerals, and myriad other resources, Natural Allies details the history of the continental energy relationship - from electricity to uranium to fossil fuels -showing how Canada became vital to American strategic interests and, along with the United States, a major international energy power and petro-state.

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Book Launch - Canada Alone: Navigating the Post-American World, by Kim Richard Nossal
Oct
4
12:00 PM12:00

Book Launch - Canada Alone: Navigating the Post-American World, by Kim Richard Nossal

  • Campbell Conference Facility (map)
  • Google Calendar ICS

Canada must prepare for an isolationist and unpredictable neighbour to the South should a MAGA leader gain the White House in 2025.

The American-led global order has been increasingly challenged by Chinese assertiveness and Russian revanchism. As we enter this new era of great-power competition, Canadians tend to assume that the United States will continue to provide global leadership for the West.

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Oct
2
4:00 PM16:00

Book Launch: Cracking the Nazi Code

Dr. Winthrop Bell, University of Toronto philosophy professor and British secret agent A12, may be best known for sounding the first intelligence warning against the Nazi plot for World War II in 1919, and the earliest public warning against Hitler’s plan for the Holocaust in 1939. Yet, defeating Nazi evil was, for Bell, simply a precursor to establishing a just post-war peace, one that would allow friendship and mutual profit for both victor and vanquished.

What was the historical importance of his intelligence work? What is its relevance today?  With his papers finally declassified, we can reflect on its relevance for today’s scholars and policymakers who are interested in international relations and Canada’s role in the defense of Europe.

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