Security, Trade and the Economy

Financing the enemy: The limits of NATO’s strategic decoupling from Russian fossil fuels 

Despite vocally supporting Ukraine, between February 2022 and February 2025, NATO countries paid more to Russia for energy imports than they provided in aid to Ukraine. This article analyzes the limits of NATO’s strategic decoupling from Russian fossil fuels and proposes concrete steps the alliance as a whole, and Canada in particular, should take to tackle this problem.

Security, Trade and the Economy

The U.S.-Ukraine Mineral Deal: Economic Commitment and America’s Stake in the Euro-Atlantic Future 

This article analyzes the U.S.-Ukraine mineral deal – a diplomatic success for Ukraine that nonetheless signals a transition to a more restrained U.S. approach to global defense. It argues that other NATO members must step up to safeguard collective security and work toward fostering mutually beneficial economic cooperation within the alliance.

Society, Culture, and Security

NATO Summit 2025: Canada’s Leadership, Leverage, and Alliance Future

In the weeks leading up to the NATO Summit in The Hague taking place from June  24th–25th, Canada has found itself at the centre of multiple international conversations. Coming off the heels of the G7 summit in Kananaskis, where Prime Minister Mark Carney pledged an extra $2 billion in aid to Ukraine and promised to hit NATO’s 2% defence spending benchmark by Read More…

Environment, Climate Change, and Security James Lautens Security, Trade and the Economy

Polar Promises: How Canada and NATO Can Defend the Arctic

Canada is seeing rising tensions on its southern border. While calls from the current US administration to make Canada the 51st state draw the public’s attention, there is another border that has seemed to slip the minds of most Canadians: the Arctic.  Canada and Russia share a border through the Arctic, which has proven to Read More…

Daria Synelnykova Security, Trade and the Economy

Playing the Cards Right: Ukraine’s Tech Edge is NATO’s Strategic Opportunity 

Ukraine’s innovative technological defence sector is crucial in enabling resistance against Russian aggression. Its affordable, AI-powered, and battlefield-tested technology is redefining the future of warfare. Canada and other NATO members should foster partnerships with Ukrainian businesses to both provide economic resources for Ukraine’s war effort and to safeguard the competitiveness of their own defence industries

James Lautens

All Eyes on Us: The Future of the Five Eyes Intelligence Group

With the robustness of the rules-based international order in question, multilateral agreements are more crucial than ever. Intelligence-sharing in particular, such as among the Five Eyes intelligence group, has played a critical role to Canadian and international security cooperation since the end of the Second World War. However, recent criticisms from the White House have called to remove Canada from the intelligence group altogether. What would this mean for the security of Canada and our allies’ ability to counter growing threats around the world?

Society, Culture, and Security Tristan Price

Taking A Foot Off the Ottawa Convention: Why NATO States May Leave the Landmine Treaty

On March 18, 2025, Poland and the three Baltic countries announced that they would be considering withdrawing from the Ottawa Convention, otherwise known as the Mine Ban Treaty. This was followed by Finland, which shared similar remarks on April 1. This recent trend among NATO states bordering Russia and their ally, Belarus, shows the heightened Read More…

Society, Culture, and Security

Future-Proofing NATO: The Greenland Test

International society, once marked by predictable institutions and norms, is now increasingly marred by violations of international law and uncertainty. Near-daily disruptions, including territorial aggression and economic coercion, are undermining the global equilibrium upon which decades of peace and prosperity depended. The present utility of NATO lies in its ability to salvage the transatlantic bond, ensure cohesion among its members, and Read More…

NATO and Canada Olena Kryzhanivska

Three Russian Threats and How Canada Can Prepare for Them

While Canada might seem an unlikely target of direct threats from the Russian Federation, its engagement in global affairs and commitments to human rights and democracy inevitably put it at odds with Russia’s vision of the world order, drawing it into conflict with Russia’s revisionist foreign policy. With the Trump Administration pursuing an apparent rapprochement Read More…

Jake Rooke Security, Trade and the Economy Uncategorized

Special Report: Mass Competition, China and Russia’s Maritime Autonomous Systems

This is the second installment of the two part series on Maritime Autonomous Systems. See Part One, Special Report: The MAS Gap, Canada Falls Behind as Allies Adopt Maritime Autonomous Systems. The rapid development and deployment of Maritime Autonomous Systems (MAS) are transforming global maritime security. Canada is lagging behind its allies, partners, adversaries, and Read More…