International
I can’t find anything fresh to say about Gaza, only the obvious: the atrocities are “indefensible by any reasonable standard”

I can’t find anything fresh to say about Gaza, only the obvious: the atrocities are “indefensible by any reasonable standard”

You want to say something that isn’t blindingly obvious. You want to talk about something people care about. If possible you want to spin a clever line or two. What you don’t want to do, generally speaking, is rub people’s faces in things they’d rather not look at. So for people like me in the opinionating line, the temptation always...

Threading the Needle: Cambodia’s Trade Diplomacy with China and the U.S.

Threading the Needle: Cambodia’s Trade Diplomacy with China and the U.S.

On July 7, Cambodia was informed by the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump of a new August 1 deadline to renegotiate trade terms and avoid steep tariffs. Although the recently revealed 36 per cent duties announced by the U.S. as part of its broader tariff policy are lower than the hefty 49 per cent Washington threatened earlier, they remain...

Greenland Has Been Fighting Off Americans for Over a Century

Greenland Has Been Fighting Off Americans for Over a Century

MY MOTHER’S paternal grandmother, Maaliaana, was born in Kangaamiut, in western Kalaallit Nunaat, sometime in the beginning of the 1900s. (Kalaallit Nunaat is an endonym for my motherland; Greenland is what the international community generally calls it.) She was the product of a one-night stand with a British whaler, at a time when ships filled with men from other places...

The Iranian regime's new war targets its own people

The Iranian regime's new war targets its own people

Canada must stand by the Iranian public and political prisoners as the Islamic Republic intensifies its crackdown on human rights

An Old Border Dispute Spawns a New Political Crisis in Thailand

An Old Border Dispute Spawns a New Political Crisis in Thailand

The Cambodia-Thailand relationship has deteriorated since a border clash broke out on May 28 and has led to the death of one Cambodian soldier. The conflict, not the first between the two countries, stems from a longstanding dispute over the lines of demarcation, dating back to early 20th century negotiations between Thailand (then Siam) and the French colonial authorities in...


Attack on Iran was the right move at the right time

Attack on Iran was the right move at the right time

The world woke up on Sunday morning as a safer place for humanity. But the same cannot be said with any assurance for all the morrows after that. An Iran struck by a historically unprecedented bombing attack — American pilots flying American B-2 stealth bombers, each dropping 30,000-pound payloads, GPS-guided bunker-busters that can penetrate down through mountains and hundreds of...

It’s time to end Trump’s free ride - It's time for G7 leaders to speak up

It’s time to end Trump’s free ride - It's time for G7 leaders to speak up

The only question that remains about the Trump presidency is how much damage it can do to the United States and the world before it is over. A lot will depend on how other world leaders treat America’s first rogue president. Butt-kissing—the preferred option so far of those attempting to deal with Donald Trump—has been a humiliating failure...

U.S. strike on Iran may buy time or spark oil war, says former Canadian defence chief

U.S. strike on Iran may buy time or spark oil war, says former Canadian defence chief

The U.S. attack on three Iranian nuclear facilities has jolted global diplomacy and heightened fears of a broader regional conflict, with observers warning that the future of nuclear non-proliferation may be at risk. The attack, which employed long-range bombers and 30,000-pound bunker-buster bombs, marked a dramatic escalation in the simmering conflict between Israel and Iran. But it also drew the...

The March to Gaza strides face-first into the complicated reality of the Middle East
'Say something': Protesters gather as G7 leaders' summit gets underway in Alberta

'Say something': Protesters gather as G7 leaders' summit gets underway in Alberta

As world leaders gather at the G7 summit in Kananaskis, Alta., Lesley Boyer has a message. The Calgary grandmother is angry that U.S. President Donald Trump keeps talking about Canada becoming his country's 51st state. Sitting in a wheelchair at Calgary City Hall on Sunday, Boyer held up a sign with an expletive aimed at Trump. "I've been waving my...

Donald Trump campaigned on eroding democracy. Now, he’s just fulfilling his promises
Fentanyl precursors diverted from Mexico to B.C., Trump’s FBI director claims in Joe Rogan interview

Fentanyl precursors diverted from Mexico to B.C., Trump’s FBI director claims in Joe Rogan interview

The B.C. government is pushing back on claims made by FBI director Kash Patel while discussing the fentanyl crisis with comedian Joe Rogan. Appearing on the latest episode of “The Joe Rogan Experience” podcast, Patel told the host fentanyl precursor chemicals from China are being sent to Mexico and Canada to bypass U.S. drug enforcement efforts. “What they’re doing now...

Musk’s magical ROAS

Musk’s magical ROAS

Elon Musk has always taken a curious pride in not spending big on advertising. Tesla’s meteoric rise was, in his telling, proof that a superior product—and a CEO with 220 million followers—renders paid media optional.

The revenge tragedy of Donald Trump and Elon Musk

The revenge tragedy of Donald Trump and Elon Musk

“This is going to be great television,” Donald Trump said after the humiliation of Volodymyr Zelenskyy in the Oval Office a few months ago. That line has been the key to understanding the workings of the U.S. president’s second administration. Trump is an entertainer, and his government, run by Fox News talking heads and C-list celebrities, operates on the logic...



Musk says ‘Trump would have lost’ without his help, U.S. president threatens to kill contracts

Musk says ‘Trump would have lost’ without his help, U.S. president threatens to kill contracts

U.S. President Donald Trump on Thursday threatened to cut Elon Musk’s government contracts as their fractured alliance rapidly escalated into a public feud with Trump suggesting he would use the U.S. government to hurt his fellow billionaire financially. The spectacular blow-up between the president of the United States and the world’s richest man played out on their respective social media...

Trump's 'big, beautiful' tax reform bill could cost Canadians billions

Trump's 'big, beautiful' tax reform bill could cost Canadians billions

Section of Trump's One Big Beautiful Bill could hit Canadian investors with new tax. A small, obscure section buried in U.S. President Donald Trump's One Big Beautiful Bill Act could cost Canadians and Canadian companies billions of dollars, CBC News has learned. Moreover, it could hand Prime Minister Mark Carney's government yet another political hot potato from south of the...

Don’t make the mistake of thinking Elon Musk is really gone from the U.S. government

Don’t make the mistake of thinking Elon Musk is really gone from the U.S. government

So ends the first co-presidency of the United States of America. A technology entrepreneur took over the American government promising to save it billions of dollars; having failed to make billions of dollars by breaking it, he departed. Here is the essential paradox of Elon Musk and Donald Trump: They appear alike in their awful uniqueness, in their grotesque singularity...

NORTH AMERICAN SOLIDARITY NEEDED TO NAVIGATE TRUMP’S TRADE WARS

NORTH AMERICAN SOLIDARITY NEEDED TO NAVIGATE TRUMP’S TRADE WARS

Like a spoiled child, Donald Trump has kicked over the sandcastle defending what is left of the rules-based international trading order. As critics of that order, we accept the opportunity and challenge it creates to rethink international relations and mutating neoliberal dogmas. However, we are greatly concerned by the chaos and misfortune that Trump’s actions have caused for workers and...

Joe Biden diagnosed with 'aggressive' prostate cancer that has spread to his bones

Joe Biden diagnosed with 'aggressive' prostate cancer that has spread to his bones

Former U.S. president Joe Biden has been diagnosed with prostate cancer, his office said Sunday. Biden was seen last week by doctors after urinary symptoms, and a prostate nodule was found. He was diagnosed with prostate cancer on Friday, with the cancer cells having spread to the bone. "While this represents a more aggressive form of the disease, the cancer...

Trump says Trudeau 'wrongly' pushed Russia out of G8 — when Harper was in power

Trump says Trudeau 'wrongly' pushed Russia out of G8 — when Harper was in power

U.S. President Donald Trump said former prime minister Justin Trudeau led the effort to have Russia removed from the G8, even though the decision took place more than a year before Trudeau came to power. Speaking alongside FIFA president Gianni Infantino at a World Cup event in Washington on Tuesday, Trump said Trudeau and former U.S. president Barack Obama "didn't...

China, Russia Remain Close Despite Trump’s Efforts to Drive a Wedge

China, Russia Remain Close Despite Trump’s Efforts to Drive a Wedge

On April 2 — just before the U.S. announced sweeping new tariffs on much of the world — Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi concluded a three-day visit to Moscow, where he met with his counterpart, Sergey Lavrov, and Russian President Vladimir Putin. The two sides discussed the Russia-Ukraine war and other security flashpoints, including Iran’s nuclear program and the Korean...

Trump’s chaos is imperialism in a transparent disguise

Trump’s chaos is imperialism in a transparent disguise

United States President Donald Trump is mashing up the global order. I have a theory. Last week, Trump imposed so-called “reciprocal” tariffs on American trading partners. His actions sent markets plunging, investment funds devaluing, and panic rising. There are no rules for the new global economic regime.

U.S. could lose democracy status, says global watchdog

U.S. could lose democracy status, says global watchdog

A just-released annual report on the global state of democracy makes for depressing reading. But what's even more depressing is what might appear in next year's edition. Or rather, what might not appear in the 2026 volume: an old democracy, by some measures the world's oldest; a superpower that long circled the globe professing to spread freedom. "If it continues...

Trump’s word = the square root of bugger all

Trump’s word = the square root of bugger all

I have just two words for U.S. President Donald Trump: Tariff off. How bad is his crazed trade war? Just a day after imposing illegal and punishing tariffs on Canada and Mexico, Captain Chaos has had to revisit the issue. In just one day. That’s because his belligerent and unscrupulous policy aimed at America’s biggest trading partners and most faithful...

The return of the ugly American

The return of the ugly American

The world according to Trump

The world according to Trump

We’ve all heard it, and for a while, it was tempting to believe. No matter how nutty US President Donald Trump’s statements or actions are, there is a reason. He’s a business guy. He makes deals. He might be rude, crude, a little unhinged, but he has a plan. He’s smart. He knows what he’s doing. Just wait. You’ll see...

Is the Trump revolution off to a good or bad start?

Is the Trump revolution off to a good or bad start?

Does Donald Trump’s revolutionary start make the grade? On Tuesday, America once again celebrated the great presidential tradition called “marking your own homework,” also known as the Joint Session of Congress address. You didn’t need to sit through all 99 minutes of Trump’s peroration to know that he gave himself an A++ on his first six weeks in office...

Oval Office blow-up confirmed where Trump really stands

Oval Office blow-up confirmed where Trump really stands

When the history of what could be a widening war in Europe is written, it will be interesting to see if it will be recorded how United States Vice-President J.D. Vance led his boss into an explosive, epoch-making verbal clash with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Feb. 28. Engaged in a war for survival against a Russian invasion propelled by...

Trump

Trump

Trump sinks to new low with AI-generated Gaza video

Trump sinks to new low with AI-generated Gaza video

King Donald and his band of enabling Banana Republicans have hit a new low. With the ceasefire in Gaza hanging by a thread, U.S. President Donald Trump posted a glitzy video on “Truth” Social complete with a catchy song. The AI-generated video depicted the war-torn region after a makeover—a kind of Las Vegas on the Mediterranean. There was even a...

After Zelenskyy-Trump row, British PM says allies must increase 'share of the burden' to help Ukraine

After Zelenskyy-Trump row, British PM says allies must increase 'share of the burden' to help Ukraine

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer rallied his European and NATO counterparts Sunday to shore up their borders and throw their full weight behind Ukraine as he announced outlines of a plan to end Russia's war. "Every nation must contribute to that in the best way that it can, bringing different capabilities and support to the table, but all taking responsibility...

Trump sides with Putin, a murderous dictator

Trump sides with Putin, a murderous dictator

It is usually the other way around, given that America styles itself as the leader of the Free World. Instead, we have a convicted felon and an accused war criminal joining forces against a democracy.

Moderation against tyranny is the wrong choice

Moderation against tyranny is the wrong choice

It's obvious that the goal of this tyrannous Trump administration is to break government and democracy. There won’t be any 'going back.' We need to do the best we can to move beyond the frozen horror, and get to doing the work to protect democracy here and abroad with all allies we can find.

Donald Trump has plunged the world into chaos

Donald Trump has plunged the world into chaos

LISTEN TO THIS ARTICLE U.S. President Donald Trump is plunging the world into chaos. While a certain amount of turmoil was expected upon his election, the extent and speed at which he is upending geopolitical norms is staggering. And nowhere is anyone feeling the impact of his shocking and disgraceful pivots in American foreign policy more than in Europe.

Donald Trump is a blatant hypocrite when it comes to free speech, but he’s far from the only one

Donald Trump is a blatant hypocrite when it comes to free speech, but he’s far from the only one

On Day One of the second term of his presidency Donald Trump signed an executive order titled “Restoring Freedom of Speech and Ending Federal Censorship.” He then doubled down on efforts to do exactly the opposite. In the four and a half weeks since that order, Trump and his allies have waged a campaign of what can only be described...

Trump Through the Looking Glass

Trump Through the Looking Glass

The shocking US pivot to Russia has sent the world through the political looking glass and into the upside-down era of Trumpland. Is the US abandoning its historic allies in NATO, Europe, and Canada in favor of … Russia?

This Year in Munich: The World-Stage Debut of Autocratic America

This Year in Munich: The World-Stage Debut of Autocratic America

I have attended the Munich Security Conference (MSC) many times, first accompanying participating Canadian ministers during my tenure as ambassador to Germany, and more recently as a full participant. What began as the “Internationale Wehrkunde-Begegnung” (a mouthful even in German) in 1963 as a platform for Germany to engage with the United States and NATO allies in a Cold War...

The end of US soft power?

The end of US soft power?

The world’s wake-up call came at 3 a.m. In the early darkness on Saturday, Feb. 1, USAID was suddenly shut down. “This site can’t be reached,” read its homepage. The end of the great age of American soft power began.

Trump says U.S. ‘will own’ Gaza Strip, doesn’t rule out deploying troops to support reconstruction

Trump says U.S. ‘will own’ Gaza Strip, doesn’t rule out deploying troops to support reconstruction

U.S. President Donald Trump said Tuesday he isn’t ruling out deploying U.S. troops to support reconstruction of Gaza and he envisions “long-term” U.S. ownership of a redevelopment of the territory. “We’ll do what is necessary,” Trump said about the possibility of deploying troops to fill any security vacuum. “If it’s necessary, we’ll do that.”...

Trump’s Expansionist Plan, Part II: What’s His Endgame?

Trump’s Expansionist Plan, Part II: What’s His Endgame?

Last week, I explored Donald Trump’s ambition to make America the global leader in AI, along with his troubling comments about annexing Greenland and Canada. Trump’s territorial threats are now so frequent that everyone is asking: What is his endgame? The answer, I think, is closely tied to how AI is reshaping Trump’s vision for America—and the world...

Trump’s Expansionist Plan, Part II: What’s His Endgame?