The planet is watching as China and the U.S. prepare for all possibilities
The hasty new geopolitical alliance of Australia, the United Kingdom and the United States (AUKUS) is clearly a change of strategy designed to enhance security in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. The alliance envisages the United States and Great Britain providing Australia with the technology to develop nuclear-powered submarines, among other things. The U.S. is…
The observers of these phenomena are sober professionals who seek to understand what it is that has been detected and recorded
The venerable television program 60 Minutes aired a segment recently focused on a topic that has been examined before, but not with the same widespread receptivity and credibility. It had to do with UAPs. And the Pentagon, directed by the United States Congress, recently released its file on UAPs, or unidentified aerial phenomena. These sightings…
Brexit can also be an opportunity for members of the Commonwealth to strengthen their trade, social and military ties
Brexit has allowed the United Kingdom to establish an independent trade policy outside the expectations of the European Union. European law and treaties signed by the EU no longer apply to the U.K. Accordingly, the British government signed the Trade Continuity Agreement with Canada. The agreement, which took effect on April 1, maintains the intent…
The choice should seem obvious, yet around the globe governments still spend astonishing amounts of our money building military might
When discussing global issues, there’s a proverbial, weaponized elephant in the room. The topic is central to human suffering yet we seem unwilling to discuss it: the military-industrial complex. There’s a myth that there are good guys and bad guys and if we blow up the bad guys, the world will be safer. But the…
China insists that unification with Taiwan is non-negotiable. If it can’t be achieved peacefully, it’ll be done militarily
Taiwan – an island off the southern coast of China – is home to over 23 million people. It’s also a prosperous democracy, albeit one that’s become something of a diplomatic outcast. The island came into China’s political orbit during the 17th century and was formally annexed in 1683. The origins of the major Chinese…
Two explosive military investigations mean the dark clouds of controversy won't soon fade for Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and the Liberal government are dealing with two major controversies involving our military. Both situations went from bad to worse in 24 hours. So did the possible fate of a minister of the Crown. The first controversy involves Gen. Jonathan Vance. He served as chief of the defence staff for the…
Sarsfield was the de facto commander of James’s forces in Ireland. The mission failed but his reputation for gallantry was assured
This being the season of St. Patrick’s Day, an Irish-themed column seems appropriate. And a recent news story provides a suitable prompt. Born between 1655 and 1658, Patrick Sarsfield was a dashing Irish hero. He was brave, patriotic and charismatic. And the fact that he was mortally wounded leading a cavalry charge at the 1693…
In the past year, the COVID-19 pandemic caused significant dislocations to Canadian economy and society. However, as we look to the international sphere, the pandemic has accelerated a number of long-standing trends, while introducing several new challenges. Over the past decade, we have witnessed the fragmentation of political, economic and military arrangements that underpinned the…
In 1961, as a young president prepared to take over from an aging one, their perspectives on military responsibility were starkly different
In the third week of January 1961, two American political figures made important speeches. One was the outgoing president, Dwight D. Eisenhower. And the other was the new guy, John F. Kennedy. Eisenhower was first up with his Jan. 17 farewell address. Aged 70, he was at that time the oldest president in United States…
The United States has been sitting on some stunning discoveries for years
No one ever took U.S. President Donald Trump for Star Trek’s Capt. Jean-Luc Picard. Nevertheless, his creation of the U.S. Space Force in December 2019 resembled the latter’s powerful command, “Engage!” The space race is on but what most people would find surprising is how far along that race is already. “The power of space…