Archive for the ‘North America’ Category

|Guest Column| U.S. 2012 Election – To Stay the Course or Back to the Future?

Posted: November 2, 2012 in North America, United States of America
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by Dinesh Swaminathan

Four years have passed and a lot has changed for Barack Obama. This time around the gloss and glamour of his 2008 campaign seem absent as he tries to convince the American public to let him finish the job he started.

Obama’s first term was spent repairing and steadying a country battered by the biggest financial crisis since the Great Depression. The lofty goals of “change” referenced across his speeches had to be shelved for prudence. And while many adjectives can be found to describe Obama’s term report card, few would argue that the situation has not improved. In fact, many supporters cite the hand Obama was dealt as a key ingredient in killing the enthusiasm that swept the nation four years ago, a hand that was dealt by the policies of a Republican administration; one not dissimilar to the man standing opposite Obama.

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A New Age of Warfare

Posted: June 29, 2012 in China, Iranian Nuclear Issue, Israel, United States of America
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In 1984, a Canadian director and an Austrian strong-man created a film franchise based on an intelligent computer system that turns on its creators and wages war on mankind. The Terminator series went onto spawned many sequels, a TV series and even a horrible Nintendo game. Yet be not alarmed, there is no impending robot apocalypse. However, our rapid progress and deeper reliance on technology might be leading us in to a new era of war; adding new layers to an age-old human ritual that has constantly been streamlined and perfected. What does this evolution mean for the nation-state and its concept of war and security? How will these advances impact the century succeeding the bloodiest hundred years in human history?

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|Guest Column| Expanding the Canadian Dollar: Unique Opportunity or a Loonie Idea?

Posted: June 29, 2012 in Canada, Europe, Guest Opinions, North America
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By Frazier Fathers

Although it came as a shock to many, the idea that Iceland – one of the hardest hit nations by the 2008 financial crisis – would call for adopting the Loonie, presents Canada with a unique opportunity in the 21st century.

Following the collapse of the Icelandic economy, the Icelandic krona lost 60% of its value and the government was forced to place strict restrictions on currency exchange to prevent a flood of currency leaving the nation. Numerous options have been floated to solve the Icelandic currency dilemma and amongst these, the Canadian dollar carries some attractive features. Firstly, and most importantly from an economic standpoint, is that both Canada and Iceland share similar business cycles with their resource based export economies. Second, the current and ongoing struggles within the European Union and the questions of its future stability means that despite the ongoing ascension negotiations, the Euro may not be the best option for the Icelandic economy. Even the mighty US dollar faces a number of other serious concerns considering the political deadlock that grips Washington. Their economy that has been stuck in a rut since the 2008 recession and with the massive debt burden carried by the world’s last superpower, the once mighty greenback seems like less of an attractive option.

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|Guest Column| Canada: Conduit of Israeli Policy Towards Lebanon

Posted: May 8, 2012 in Canada, Guest Opinions, Israel, Lebanon
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by Bilal Hamade

It might be sheer coincidence that the last two prosecutors in the Special Tribunal for Lebanon (STL) are Canadians. Daniel Bellemare, who held the position since 2009, is now being replaced by Norman Farrell. Nevertheless, this “coincidence” is particularly telling of the increased Canadian interest and involvement in the Hariri assassination case and the politics of the Middle East at large.

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Video: Iran: A Path to War? (TVO)

Posted: April 23, 2012 in Iranian Nuclear Issue, Israel, Middle East, United States of America
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Steve Paikin covers a variety of issues surrounding the Iranian Nuclear Program, including the latest developments from the Istanbul conference and the future implications of the 2012 American Presidential Elections.

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Video: Containment: Containment: A Viable Strategy for Iran? (MEI)

Posted: April 19, 2012 in Iranian Nuclear Issue, Israel, Middle East, North America, United States of America
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The Middle East Institute hosts Georgetown University professor Paul Pillar and Atlantic Council fellow Barbara Slavin on American options for dealing with Iran. Pillar expels doomsday theories of Iran being a suicidal Islamic Regime that would use nuclear weapons against Israel or any other state. He also argues that containment is preferable to war, one that could be worse than the conjectured consequences of an Iranian bomb. Both Pillar and Slavin state that the United States will be able to successfully contain a nuclear Iran as it has for the last three decades. Through patience and reassurances to its allies in the Middle East (Israel and the Gulf in particular), the United States could dissuade Iran from pursuing a nuclear weapon.