The NATO Association of Canada’s Society, Culture, and Security program takes a look at the issues that impact Canadians’ every day lives while connecting them to international relations. The program covers a wide range of topics, which include: pop culture, art, film, global events, and socio-political relations. In addition, Society, Culture, and IR aims to examine and provide in-depth analyses that relate international affairs to the interests of Canadian society.
This past spring, encampments began mushrooming on North American university campuses as part of a demand that the universities divest from all association with Israel. Most participants subscribed to some form of the ideology that both pushes the inaccurate notion that Israel is committing “genocide” against Palestinians and opposes Israel’s very existence. These are core Read More…
Background Recently, a series of letters to the editor published in the Toronto Star scolded the Canadian government for allegedly siphoning billions of dollars away from climate change mitigation initiatives in order to fund dubious military investments. These letters argue that the government should prioritize environmental investments over military spending, suggesting that climate change poses Read More…
Shortly after President Biden dropped out of the 2024 presidential race, his running mate, Vice President Kamala Harris, stepped up to the plate, a catalyst for the new tone for this election. The Democratic party quickly shifted support to their new candidate, with Democrats breaking campaign donation records within three days of Harris announcing her Read More…
Senegal has long been a rare positive exception to other trends in governance when analyzing democratic successes in Africa. In spite of former President Macky Sall’s authoritarian slide during his terms from 2012 to 2024, the opposition victory this past April, followed by a peaceful transfer of power are confirmations of Senegal’s democratic trajectory. This Read More…
It is not shocking to say that the United States’ democratic system is in a precarious state. The criminal charges brought against former president Donald Trump for conspiring to defraud the United States and its citizens (amongst other charges), and the ensuing controversy, showed just how politically divided the nation is. That is, until July Read More…
In 1947, a clock started counting down the minutes until nuclear conflict would cause the demise of humanity. Known as the Doomsday Clock, the symbol quickly permeated popular culture and raised awareness of the threat of nuclear annihilation. Since its inception, the Clock has gone on to include other threats including the development of artificial Read More…
In many NATO member states, the United States’ impending presidential election is a major source of uncertainty and anxiety. Donald Trump’s recent comments at a campaign rally in South Carolina, suggesting that he would encourage the Russians to “do whatever the hell they want” to NATO allies that did not meet the alliance’s 2% of Read More…
On July 1, 1944, 730 delegates from 44 nations convened at the Mount Washington Hotel in Bretton Woods, New Hampshire to discuss a path of recovery following the tragedies of the Great Depression and the Second World War. With attendance from Allied countries, including Canada, the United Kingdom, the United States, India, and China, delegates Read More…
Despite the world being interconnected in a way it has never been, civilization finds itself torn apart by civil strife and disagreement. “Polarization” is the word of the day, and it has hit Canada hard. Recent years have seen the issue reflected in the rise of hate crimes, distrust of the government, and general violence. Read More…
Since 2020, there have been seven coups in six French-speaking West African countries. Many of them have involved conflicts between military groups or established governments supported by France, and by extension the West and NATO, and rebel groups or juntas supported by Russia. France’s role as the main patron of established power in these countries Read More…