Category Archives: Uncategorized

Canadian Pugwash: Canada Should Expand, Not Retreat from, UN Peacekeeping

On October 11, 2026, the Canadian Pugwash Group published a public statement calling “on the Government of Canada to reconsider the planned drawdown and develop a renewed Canadian peacekeeping strategy backed by meaningful expansion of personnel, resources and diplomatic leadership. This is a moment,” the group wrote, “for Canada to recommit to multilateral peace and security—not retreat from… Continue Reading Canadian Pugwash: Canada Should Expand, Not Retreat from, UN Peacekeeping

Navi Pillay wins 2026 Nobel Peace Prize

On October 9, 2026, the Norwegian Nobel Committee in Oslo announced the winner of the 2026 Nobel Peace Prize: South African-born jurist and former UN human rights chief Navanethem (Navi) Pillay “for her efforts to promote peace and international law.” Ms. Pillay, now 85, and who defended an imprisoned Nelson Mandela and recently led international commissions on Israel’s… Continue Reading Navi Pillay wins 2026 Nobel Peace Prize

Reinventing the Architecture for Peace: 100+ G78 Conference Participants Recommit to Opposing Rampant Militarization, Strengthening the Rule of Law and International Institutions, and Rebuilding Peace from the Ground Up

Convening on the heels of the announcement that South African jurist Navi Pillay had won the Nobel Peace Prize, and energized by a rich lineup of superb keynote speakers and panelists, more than 100 participants in the room and online at the 2026 G78 policy conference at the University of Ottawa came together to share perspectives and plan… Continue Reading Reinventing the Architecture for Peace: 100+ G78 Conference Participants Recommit to Opposing Rampant Militarization, Strengthening the Rule of Law and International Institutions, and Rebuilding Peace from the Ground Up

Policy Professionals, Civil Society, & Youth

One of the things that makes our Annual Policy Conference so wonderful is the way in which we are able to bring together seasoned policy professionals, civil society, and engaged youth. We do this through our Student Rapporteur program, which selects some of the area’s best who are studying International Relations at Carleton University and the University of… Continue Reading Policy Professionals, Civil Society, & Youth

The Rhetoric of Conflict – is ‘forever’ really forever?

A couple of weeks ago, Dan Smith, a keynote speaker for the Group of 78’s 2026 Annual Policy Conference in Ottawa on October 10, wrote a blog post in which he discussed whether the rhetoric used to discuss certain regional conflicts keeps us from acting on them. His post Are ‘forever wars’ forever? may make you re-think how… Continue Reading The Rhetoric of Conflict – is ‘forever’ really forever?

Scheduling Change for the Screening of The Veto

The screening of the film The Veto has been postponed by the organizers from the original September 21 date. When a new date is confirmed, we will post a notice.

“The Making and Unmaking of American Dominance”: The Iran War, the Second Precision Revolution and the Leverage of Commercial Uncertainty

Writing in Foreign Affairs on July 24, 2026, University of Chicago political scientist Robert A. Pape argues that the US-Iran war shows that, using cheap drone weaponry made largely from commercially available components, a weaker power can challenge US military dominance, creating market uncertainty that imposes real costs on American and global business interests. The Iran war, he… Continue Reading “The Making and Unmaking of American Dominance”: The Iran War, the Second Precision Revolution and the Leverage of Commercial Uncertainty

A nation’s war expenditures: “spending the sweat of its laborers, the genius of its scientists, the hopes of its children”—Dwight Eisenhower via Heather Cox-Richardson

In her July 23, 2026, Substack blog, political commentator Heather Cox-Richardson reported on the opaque, unaccountable and mounting war budget of the current US administration. In contrast, she highlighted a 1953 speech by US President Dwight D. Eisenhower, given following the death of Josef Stalin, that forcefully opposed the diversion of tax dollars to military spending. She quotes… Continue Reading A nation’s war expenditures: “spending the sweat of its laborers, the genius of its scientists, the hopes of its children”—Dwight Eisenhower via Heather Cox-Richardson

The Green Helmets Initiative: Fighting Climate Disasters with NATO’s Budget-Can Canada Lead?

On July 24, 2026, Toronto Star reporter Allan Woods profiled Canadian development expert and former senior CIDA analyst, Dr. Rémy-Claude Beaulieu, and his proposal for a global mobile “Green Helmets” force to take emergency action to “keep the peace with Mother Nature,” as Woods puts it. Dr. Beaulieu’s vision of the initiative includes an international network of centres… Continue Reading The Green Helmets Initiative: Fighting Climate Disasters with NATO’s Budget-Can Canada Lead?

The Thomson Reuters Contract with ICE: What Could Go Wrong?

With the important mid-term elections in the United States coming up fast, and the Administration taking a range of steps to tilt the playing field in the GOP’s favour, civil-liberties and democracy advocates are expressing grave concern over Canadian-owned Thomson Reuters’ new $125-million contract to provide US Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE, with tools and support to… Continue Reading The Thomson Reuters Contract with ICE: What Could Go Wrong?