On Thursday May 13th, 2021, the Norman Paterson School of International Affairs organized a panel discussion entitled “We Rise Together: Stopping Anti-Asian Racism”.

Moderated by Yanling Wang (NPSIA Associate Director, Ph.D. Program & Professor, NPSIA) and featuring a welcome and introduction by Michael Charles, (Assistant Vice-President and University Advisor, Equity and Inclusive Communities (EIC), Carleton University), the event featured discussions by the following panelists:

• Daniel Quan-Watson, Deputy Minister at Government of Canada Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs
• Xiaobei Chen, Professor, Carleton University
• Yuen Pau Woo, Independent Senator, Senate of Canada
• Falice Chin, Executive Producer of News at CBC Ottawa

View Event Poster

Political Turmoil in a Tumultuous World – Canada Among Nations 2020

Edited By Carment, David & Nimijean, Richard
Palgrave Macmillan

“In the last two years, Canadian society has been marked by political and ideological turmoil. How does an increasingly divided country engage a world that is itself divided and tumultuous? Political instability has been reinforced by international uncertainty: the COVID-19 pandemic, populism, Black Lives Matter, and the chaotic final year of the Trump presidency that increased tensions between the West, China and Russia. Even with a Biden presidency, these issues will continue to influence Canada’s domestic situation and its ability to engage as an effective global actor. Contributors explore issues that cause or reflect these tensions, such as Canada’s willingness to address pressing crises through multilateralism, including the COVID-19 pandemic. Can Canada forge its own path in a turbulent world?”

ISBN-978-3-030-70685-2

About the Editors

David Carment is Professor of International Affairs at the Norman Paterson School of International Affairs, Carleton University.

Richard Nimijean is a member of the School of Indigenous and Canadian Studies at Carleton University and is a Visiting Professor in the Department of English and American Studies at Masaryk University.

Canada’s Leading International Affairs Program

Study at Canada’s top graduate school in international affairs. Established more than 50 years ago, the Norman Paterson School of International Affairs (NPSIA) at Carleton University is a leader in its field.  NPSIA has a global reputation for providing the interdisciplinary training necessary to understand world issues. Learn from faculty experts in conflict resolution and security, terrorism and intelligence, diplomacy and foreign policy, international trade and finance, international governance and development, and humanitarian emergencies.

NPSIA Graduation Spotlight: Kaia Counter

If you could choose one word to sum up your time at NPSIA, what is it and why?

Transformative. I learned so much about policy and practical implementation of ideas, themes which were largely absent from my undergrad that focused on politics in theory. I gained a strong understanding of Canadian government and politics, made so many new friends, overcame the biggest academic challenges of my life, and found new professional interests that will shape the next steps I take in my career. I gained so much confidence from the trials of a Master’s degree and really emerged from this degree as a different person.

What is your favourite NPSIA memory?

When Canada’s chief climate negotiator came to speak in Professor Manulak’s Diplomacy class, which sparked a new interest in me in negotiation

What was your favourite course or who was your favourite professor?

My favourite professor is definitely Professor Percival. Her insights into global health and gender taught me so much, and her work ethic constantly inspires me. She looks out for students and is genuinely compassionate. Her courses offered compelling and engaging dialogue between students and I felt extremely fortunate to act as a Research Assistant for her.

What was the most important lesson you learned during your time at NPSIA?

Being a part of a team is just as essential as being an effective leader, and that there is enormous strength and value in meaningful collaboration.

What’s next for you?

I’m currently working on the Legislative Affairs team at both Indigenous Services Canada and Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs. I plan on pursuing a career more broadly in international negotiation and diplomacy, bringing a GBA+ lens to all that I do. In the meantime, I will be working on my French skills, looking for new places to hike around Ottawa, and finally reading for pleasure instead of for research papers.

Is there anything else you would like to share with the NPSIA community?

I’m so proud of this graduating class for completing a Master’s degree that was nearly entirely online- we did it!

NPSIA Graduation Spotlight: Hanna Williams

If you could choose one word to sum up your time at NPSIA, what is it and why?

This isn’t exactly one word, but Choose Your Own Adventure was the first thing that came to mind. NPSIA offers so many different opportunities that your degree can really be whatever you want it to be. I was able to travel, present and publish my research, and gain experience in the Canadian Public Service and I have friends who did so much more! NPSIA offers so many different possibilities for what a posy-graduate degree can be.

What is your favourite NPSIA memory?

My favourite NPSIA memory was the opportunity to travel to Costa Rica to take part in the Centre for Trade Policy and Law’s one-week course in Trade Negotiation Skills. We were able to work alongside other Costa Rican students in a realistic simulation of a prospective modernization of the Canada-Costa Rica Free Trade Agreement (CCRFTA). Not only were we able to gain practical skills that I can apply to my professional work but I was able to travel to a beautiful country in 2020!

What was your favourite course or who was your favourite professor?

My favourite professor has been Dr. Meredith Lilly. I was fortunate enough to not only take two of her courses during my time at NPSIA but also work as one of her Research Assistants. Dr. Lilly’s passion for the material has always been infectious and ensures that all her courses not only give students skills for their degree but skills for future employment. She is also just a really fun person so I’m grateful for all the time I’ve been able to spend with her.

What was the most important lesson you learned during your time at NPSIA?

The most important lesson I learned was to ask the question ‘so what’. Even the best research and policy development is not likely to be considered by decision-makers if isn’t clear how it is relevant to their mandate or goals. This is something that has helped me already in the workplace so I’m glad so many of my professors encouraged this.

What’s next for you?

I’ve joined the Department of Finance Canada as a Junior Policy Analyst through their University Recruitment process and I’m looking forward to putting into practice all that I’ve learned at NPSIA and Carleton.

Is there anything else you would like to share with the NPSIA community?

Getting into NPSIA is arguably the hardest part. Once you’re in, take advantage of the different opportunities offered outside of classes. These are experiences employers love to hear about and will bring great memories!

NPSIA Graduation Spotlight: Félix Leblanc

If you could choose one word to sum up your time at NPSIA, what is it and why?

I would go with the word “challenge” for a few reasons. First, throughout my time at NPSIA, I’ve had my assumptions and beliefs challenged on countless occasions as professors and fellow students from all kinds of backgrounds brought new perspectives and information to the table. In return, I had many opportunities to challenge those ideas and to push the boundaries of established paradigms. Moreover, the flexible nature of the program and the numerous parallel activities meant I could always challenge myself to go a little further, to dig a little deeper. Finally, coming to Ottawa to study in my second language was a challenge in itself which has proved profoundly rewarding.

What is your favourite NPSIA memory?

Just before the pandemic, I had the chance to participate in Carleton’s Centre for Trade Policy and Law’s Trade Negotiations Course in Costa Rica. We spent a week simulating negotiations to modernize the Canada-Costa-Rica FTA. I have fond memories of productively arguing, creatively solving, and, of course, thoroughly enjoying the Pura Vida.

What was your favourite course or who was your favourite professor?

Tough choice! I especially liked Professor Wilner’s Capstone in Canadian Security class, which presented us with a fantastic opportunity to collaborate on a single project supported by government or private sector “clients” over a full semester. I appreciated being able to bring my economic policy perspective to a more traditional security area, present our findings to the clients, and receive their feedback.

Honourable mention to Professor Thom’s statistics class, a neat introduction to the quantitative analysis of international affairs.

What was the most important lesson you learned during your time at NPSIA?

The importance of engaging – engaging with ideas, with people, and with events. As an academic, the worlds of politics and applied policymaking can sometimes appear out of reach. Here in Ottawa, and through NPSIA, that distance narrows considerably. We must take advantage of the ample opportunities for interaction with civil society, business, and government to discuss ideas and policy options. NPSIA taught me to look for and seize these opportunities for meaningful contribution.

What’s next for you?

Following graduation, I am taking a break to explore my other academic interests, including devoting myself to my lifelong dream of learning Mandarin full-time.

Is there anything else you would like to share with the NPSIA community?

To those I met along the way, a final “thank you” for the support, the conversations, and the laughs. To those I haven’t met yet, I look forward to seeing you around Ottawa.

NPSIA Graduation Spotlight: Monica Silver

If you could choose one word to sum up your time at NPSIA, what is it and why?

Innovative. In my experience, NPSIA professors constantly pushed me to think beyond traditional approaches to certain issues and imagine new, innovative policy solutions. This encouragement of critical and innovative thinking challenged me to be both creative and pragmatic. Effectively, it improved my problem-solving in day-to-day life, research and work. I think this sort of encouragement can be somewhat of a rarity, as well, because the easiest route (in teaching, policy-making and otherwise) is typically to stick with traditional, status quo approaches. Considering this, I’m very grateful that so many of my professors motivated me to put on my thinking cap!

What is your favourite NPSIA memory?

Taking the Centre for Trade Policy and Law’s Certificate in Trade Negotiation Skills course… in Costa Rica. The course itself was outstanding and the location was simply the cherry on top. While the delicious fresh fruit is sadly many miles away now, I developed skills and relationships that I continue to rely on today. Thank you to the CTPL and Professor Rourke!

What was your favourite course or who was your favourite professor?

While there are some close runner-ups, Professor Lilly is my favourite professor. I learned so much from her over the past two years, both in terms of issue-specific knowledge and softer skills. I was fortunate enough to engage with Professor Lilly in a couple of courses and through my research, which she generously supervised. She is a clear, compassionate and balanced educator. Notably, when COVID-19 struck and courses were moved online, I found Professor Lilly’s approach to online teaching was particularly commendable. It was clear she committed extra effort to ensure the best possible learning experience for her students. If you’re interested in taking one of her courses, I’d highly recommend INAF 5306: Trade Policy in North America. It was my favourite course at NPSIA.

What was the most important lesson you learned during your time at NPSIA?

Think critically not only of others’ work but, perhaps even more importantly, of your own. I don’t mean that in the sense of nit-picking, but rather of being willing to see faults in your own thinking, to consider perspectives beyond your own and to change your position when needed to provide a better outcome. Being willing to accept criticism and evolve is essential to most things in life, I’d say, but especially policy-making.

What’s next for you?

I’m currently working in trade policy at Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada and will be completing a temporary assignment in strategic trade policy at Global Affairs Canada shortly. For now, international trade is where my interest lies. In light of rising global protectionism and changing social challenges, I’d like to think very hard about how Canada can leverage its trade and diplomatic relationships to improve livelihoods both domestically and around the world. I think we can do more to employ trade-related mechanisms to address Canadian competitiveness, international labour standards, climate change mitigation and other issues.

Is there anything else you would like to share with the NPSIA community?

To prospective students on the fence about coming to NPSIA, I can confirm it was an excellent investment in my education, personal development and career. I look forward to developing the relationships I’ve formed in the NPSIA community and believe we have significant potential to incite positive change if we all put our thinking caps on and work cooperatively.

Diplomacy and the Future of World Order

Chester A. Crocker, Fen Osler Hampson, and Pamela Aall, Editors
Foreword by Ambassador William J. Burns
Georgetown University Press
ISBN-9781647120931 (1647120934)

Three scenarios for future approaches to peace and conflict diplomacy, explored through the lens of regional perspectives and security threats

Diplomacy in pursuit of peace and security faces severe challenges not seen in decades. The reemergence of strong states, discord in the UN Security Council, destabilizing transnational nonstate actors, closing space for civil society within states, and the weakening of the international liberal order all present new obstacles to diplomacy.

In Diplomacy and the Future of World Order, an international group of experts confronts these challenges to peace and conflict diplomacy—defined as the effort to manage others’ conflicts, cope with great power competition, and deal with threats to the state system itself. In doing so, they consider three potential scenarios for world order where key states decide to go it alone, return to a liberal order, or collaborate on a case-by-case basis to address common threats and problems.

These three scenarios are then evaluated through the prism of regional perspectives from around the world and for their potential ramifications for major security threats including peacekeeping, nuclear nonproliferation, cyber competition, and terrorism. Editors Chester A. Crocker, Fen Osler Hampson, and Pamela Aall conclude the volume by identifying emerging types of diplomacy that may form the foundation for global peacemaking and conflict management in an uncertain future.

About the Editors

Chester A. Crocker is the James R. Schlesinger Professor of the Practice of Strategic Studies at the Walsh School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University. He previously served as the assistant secretary for the US Department of State’s Bureau of African Affairs.

Fen Osler Hampson is a Chancellor’s Professor and professor of international affairs at the Norman Paterson School of International Affairs at Carleton University and president of the World Refugee and Migration Council.

Pamela Aall is a senior advisor for conflict prevention and management at the United States Institute of Peace.

NPSIA mourns the loss of one of its former Directors, Emeritus Professor of Political Science John Sigler (1932-2021).

John Sigler earned his PhD in political science from the University of Southern California in 1968. He joined Carleton University in 1971 and served as the Director of NPSIA from 1977 to 1982 during a distinguished academic career. His research interests included Canadian foreign policy, Canada-US relations and the Middle East, and he was one of the founding members of the Group of 78.

“He was a gifted teacher and very popular with students. He also projected Carleton onto the national public affairs stage with his frequent commentary on the CBC and other national news networks in international affairs.”- Dr. Fen Hampson

A link to his obituary can be found here:
https://ottawacitizen.remembering.ca/obituary/john-sigler-1082826760

NPSIA is pleased to be hosting Visiting Ambassador in Residence, Dr. Raoul Delcorde, in Fall 2021. Dr. Delcorde is teaching a graduate course on “Europe and the Changing World Order” at NPSIA

.

Raoul Delcorde has a Ph.D in political science and is a member of the Belgian diplomatic service since 1986. Posted to Islamabad, New York UN, Vienna OSCE, Washington DC (as minister-counselor). Ambassador to Sweden (2003-07), to Poland (May 2010 – August 2014) and to Canada (2014-18). Previously Deputy Director General for Multilateral Affairs. Promoted to the rank of Minister Plenipotentiary (1st class). And lately director Middle-East/North Africa at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Retired from the foreign service in April 2020 with the title of honorary ambassador.

Guest Professor at the Institut d’Etudes Européennes of the Université Catholique de Louvain (from 2007 onwards). Author of seven books on international affairs and of 30 articles.

Member of the Belgian Royal Academy (Académie Royale de Belgique) and the Académie des sciences d’outre-mer in France. Member of the Advisory Board of Vocal Europe.

Areas of Interest:

• EU affairs
• Multilateral negotiation
• The Middle East
• Evolution of Western Diplomacy.

To stay up to date on all of NPSIA’s visiting scholar’s, please see our Visiting Scholars page

In this article published in the Ottawa Citizen, NPSIA PhD candidate Kevin Budning argues that both Canada and the UK should adopt more stringent security precautions to ensure that tragedies, such as the recent murder of MP David Amess, never recurs.

Link to the article: https://ottawacitizen.com/opinion/budning-in-an-increasingly-dangerous-world-mps-deserve-better-protection 

Samuel graduated with a PhD, and was awarded the Senate Medal upon graduation.

If you could choose one word to sum up your time at NPSIA, what is it and why?

Growth. Whether it be growth in academic horizons, or my professional and social network, NPSIA provided me ample opportunities to get acquainted with fascinating people and perspectives.

What is your favourite NPSIA memory?

Although no single recollection comes to mind, my fondest memories are of coffee breaks with peers and debriefing sessions after seminars, lectures and talks at Mike’s bar on campus. As in any great place of work, the best ideas generally come from conversations with colleagues. All my “eureka” moments, both academically and professionally, involved interacting with people – not sitting at a desk, facing a screen.

What was your favourite course or who was your favourite professor?

Although not a course per se, the dissertation was an eye-opening and humbling experience. Albeit a frustratingly long and often solitary work, the dissertation process taught me a lot about research rigour and better writing. Professor Dane Rowlands was immensely supportive in his role as my PhD supervisor.

What was the most important lesson you learned during your time at NPSIA?

Humility. Coming into an interdisciplinary program, you are immersed in a broad range of intersecting topics and gain a unique perspective on disciplinary blind spots. Then again, you are unlikely to become a disciplinary specialist. In my view, it’s important to embrace the unique role as an “expert generalist”.

What’s next for you?

I have recently taken on a new role as Research Economist at Statistics Canada. I aim to continue publishing on diverse immigration, labour, and social issues.

Is there anything else you would liketo share with the NPSIA community?

Thank you to all those at NPSIA that helped along the way.

And to current and prospective students, remember to attend conferences/seminars, routinely consult with peers, and act on your curiosities. Best of luck!

Professor Yiagadeesen Samy has just published a new article on SDG16+ implementation in fragile and conflict-affected states, co-authored with Bianca Washuta, a recent MA graduate from NPSIA, and Professor Baranyi from the University of Ottawa in the journal Conflict, Security & Development.

SDG16+ on peaceful societies, justice and strong institutions is often presented as a ‘strategic lever’ to enable the implementation of other SDGs, hence the ‘+’ often added to that goal. This is especially the case in fragile and conflict-affected states (FCAS) where violence and weak governance are seen as major constraints on development. Six years into Agenda 2030, this paper triangulates official reports such as Voluntary National Reviews, and third-party sources, to ascertain the implementation of SDG16+ in a broad sample of FCAS and in seven specific fragile countries. We observe varying levels of effort on implementation, yet an overall trend towards superficial compliance. Informed by institutional theory, we argue that such uneven implementation is not just a function of limited data or resources, but of the varied commitment of elites to enable or prevent the consolidation of peace, justice and effective institutions.

You can read the full article online at the following link:

https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/14678802.2021.2000812

The Norman Paterson School of International Affairs was joined by Bob Rae, Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Canada to the United Nations to discuss “Multilateral Diplomacy in a Post-Covid World: What is the Role for Canada?”.

To view the event, please see below:

.NPSIA’s Visiting Ambassador in Residence, Dr. Raoul Delcorde, has published an article titled “L’art d’être diplomate : persuasion, éloquence, connaissance et – surtout – patience!“.

You can read the article on The Conversation:

The Women’s Tennis Association is suspending events in China, and continues to express concern over the whereabouts and treatment of tennis star Peng Shuai. Meanwhile, the Government of China says that it opposes the “politicization of sports”. Dr. Elliot Tepper discusses the ramifications of these suspensions with Scott Thompson on Hamilton Today.

Listen to the discussion

Dr. Tepper is a veteran professor of comparative politics and international relations at Carleton University. He regularly provides media commentary at home and abroad on a wide range of topics, providing context and deep background to the news stories of the day.

Article written for The Globe and Mail by NPSIA professors Leah West and Stephanie Carvin, along with University of Ottawa professor Thomas Juneau

Published by professor Leah West in the University of Toronto Law Journal on January 5, 2022.

ABSTRACT

Since the swift passage of the Anti-Terrorism Act in 2015, the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) has had the unprecedented and highly controversial authority to take ‘reasonable and proportionate’ measures to reduce threats to Canadian security. While there are some limits to the types of measures CSIS can employ, the Canadian Security Intelligence Service Act permits the use of measures that would otherwise contravene the laws of Canada or limit a right protected by the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms so long as they are judicially authorized by the Federal Court. As new threats proliferate around the world, it is anticipated that CSIS will increasingly carry out this mandate overseas. Yet review bodies tasked with monitoring CSIS’s use of threat reduction measures (TRMs) report that CSIS has never sought judicial authorization to conduct a TRM. Why? One answer may be that CSIS has concluded that the Charter does not govern actions carried out abroad, and, as such, their extraterritorial conduct falls beyond the reach and oversight of the Federal Court. Whether the Charter applies to CSIS’s overseas conduct ostensibly lies in the Supreme Court of Canada’s leading case on the extraterritorial application of the Charter, R. v Hape. This article canvasses domestic and international law, as well as intelligence law theory, to explain why that presumption is wrong. Wrong, not least because the majority opinion in Hape is deeply flawed in its analysis and application of international law. But also, because intelligence operations are so distinguishable from the transnational criminal investigations at issue in Hape, the Court’s findings are inapplicable in the former context. In short, this article demonstrates that applying Hape to the actions of CSIS officers not only leaves their actions beyond the scrutiny of Canadian courts but also creates a significant human rights gap.