The entire episode feels increasingly like a Russian intelligence operation designed to create political turmoil in the U.S. and exacerbate social tensions
The Kremlin’s favourite soap opera these days is the ongoing investigation into Russian meddling in the 2016 U.S. presidential election. Each new episode is followed intently. It’s unclear whether popcorn or caviar is served, and whether fans at the Kremlin consider the program a drama or a comedy. Its popularity, however, is indisputable. The investigation…
The international media is so blind in its disdain for Trump that they are whitewashing the crimes of one of the world’s most repressive regimes
The government of Kim Jong-un is one of the world’s most repressive, holding North Korea’s 25 million people in a virtual slave state. A third or more of North Koreans suffer from malnutrition. The regime’s penal camps are among the harshest on Earth, with a reported 20 per cent of inmates dying within 12 months…
The next few years will determine whether Europe’s current problems represent bumps in the road or a fundamental turning point in its grand vision
Imagine perusing your local newspaper one morning to discover the Province of Alberta had voted to secede from Canada and was in increasingly tense talks with the federal government over the terms of its departure. At the same time, the lower mainland of B.C. had voted to leave the province in a bitterly contested election…
The AfD has its share of political troglodytes but they are not Nazis
By all accounts, Germany’s elections on Sunday turned out exactly as expected. Angela Merkel cruised to an easy victory. Her fourth term puts her on track to be the longest serving chancellor in the post-Second World War period and second only to Otto von Bismarck as Germany’s longest serving leader. Beneath the surface, however, the…
Arguments that Iran has already violated the agreement and that the U.S. should pull out and immediately reinstate sanctions have consequences
During the 2016 presidential campaign, Donald Trump described the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), otherwise known as the Iran nuclear deal, as “the stupidest deal of all time” and vowed that if he became president he would “rip it up.” Now, as president, Trump’s posturing suggests he’s ready to do just that. The deal…
We’ve spent the last 16 years fighting the symptoms of jihadism but we’ve made little progress in dealing with its root causes
This week marks the 16th anniversary of the attack on the World Trade Center in New York City. It wasn’t the beginning of jihadism or terrorism. Nor was it the first attack by jihadists in Europe or North America. Still, 9/11 marks a beginning. Sixteen years later, however, it’s still unclear what beginning it marks.…
Rising commodity prices, increased tourism revenue, higher investment and an overall strong economic performance all contributed to the positive outlook
YPO, the world’s leading chief executive leadership organization, reported today that business confidence among Canadian business leaders strengthened considerably in 2017’s second quarter. The upturn confirmed an an equally optimistic forecast by the International Monetary Fund (IMF). In its latest World Economic Outlook, the IMF predicted that Canada’s economic growth would lead the G7 countries…
Hundreds of thousands of World Cup soccer fans will buy tickets to sit in stadiums being built in Russia and Qatar with slave labour
Of all the egregious forms of modern slavery, none is more despicable or far-reaching than the export of labour by North Korea. It’s estimated that North Korean slave labour is used in more than 45 countries, including in the European Union, and entails the exploitation of 100,000 to 200,000 individuals. The government of North Korea…
Germany must exit the increasingly dysfunctional eurozone to allow its other members to benefit from a cheaper euro
It’s time for Germany to abandon the euro – to save the European Union. The euro is the official currency of the eurozone. It’s used by the institutions of the European Union (EU) and by 19 of its 28 members. It’s the currency of around 400 million people – the second most traded money and reserve…
While former KGB agent Vladimir Putin no longer reports to anyone, that doesn’t mean a demotion might not be in his future
Russia intervened in the Syrian Civil War in September 2015, with the deployment of a range of 65 bombers and fighters, 16 attack helicopters and roughly 4,000 personnel, including a contingent of Russian Special Forces. At the time, the Assad government was experiencing significant losses to the Syrian rebels and seemed on the verge of…
