National Newswatch

The Institute for Peace & Diplomacy

Canada’s Dilemma: China and the ‘Rules-Based International Order’

Jun 15 2022 — Zach Paikin — — It is widely acknowledged that the rules-based international order is in crisis. Russian revanchism has destroyed Europe’s collective security architecture, while persistent North-South disputes threaten the smooth functioning of global multilateralism. But it is China’s steady rise that presents the more long-term and formidable challenge to the status quo, even if Beijing has benefited to […]

China’s Economic Rise and Its Implications for Canada

May 23 2022 — — China has transformed from a poor planned economy to a gigantic market-oriented economy in a matter of a few decades with its continuous fast economic growth, resulting from a combination of domestic economic reforms and open trade policies. China’s GDP per capita passed the US$10,000 benchmark in 2019; and at US$12,551 in 2021, it surpassed […]

Canada’s Foreign Policy: End of an Era?

Jan 18 2022 — Zach Paikin — — In some respects, the COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated existing international trends rather than creating new ones. However, when looking back on the past two years, the early 2020s appear to mark the end of an era in Canadian foreign policy. Today, Canada finds itself largely bereft of the three key pillars that have, in one […]

After the Election: Three Options for Canada’s Foreign Policy

Sep 19 2021 — Zach Paikin — — As is usually the case in Canadian federal elections, foreign policy issues have not figured prominently on the hustings. While Afghanistan and the two Michaels were briefly discussed during the campaign’s sole English-language debate, these issues concern the safety and wellbeing of Canadian citizens caught in the line of fire. Virtually no attention has been […]

Canada and the Great Power Triangle in the 2020s

May 5 2021 — Zach Paikin — — As U.S. President Joe Biden celebrates 100 days in office, it has become possible to discern preliminary patterns in his administration’s foreign policy. These, in turn, can inform how we should think about Canada’s evolving place in a world framed by great power rivalries between Moscow, Beijing, and Washington. At a CNN townhall event during […]

Is Canada Still a Middle Power?

Apr 22 2021 — Zach Paikin — — What are Canada’s interests in a shifting international order? This question presents two layers of difficulty. First, it requires that Canada think systematically and strategically about the scope of its core interests on the world stage, how to prioritize those goals, and how to achieve them. A laundry list of varied, disconnected wants is insufficient. […]

Revisiting Canada-Russia Relations: A New Paradigm for a Multipolar World

Apr 6 2021 — Zach Paikin — — Canada’s reaction to the 2013-14 Ukraine crisis during Stephen Harper’s premiership stood out as among the sternest in the Western community. Although diplomatic ties were not formally severed, the level of engagement between Ottawa and Moscow has been severely curtailed. Apart from a limited and brief overture following the 2015 federal election under Stéphane Dion’s […]

Great Power Competition in the Pacific: Charting Canada’s Path Under the Biden Administration

Jan 18 2021 — Zach Paikin — — In recent years, the core foundations underpinning Canada’s foreign policy have shifted from being coherent to contradictory. As Joe Biden enters the Oval Office, Ottawa’s principal task will be to bring its foreign policy in line with a new international context shaped by great power competition. However, the imperative for Canada over the coming years […]