Author: Jéssica Urdangarin

On January 20th, the RCMI and the Toronto Branch of the Canadian International Council hosted a joint seminar at the Royal Canadian Military Institute. The speaker was Dr. Daniel Livermore, former Canadian diplomat and terrorism scholar. Dr. Livermore presented his research on the theme “Challenging Orthodoxies in the War on Terror” in development of his anticipated book. He addressed misconceptions about the war on terror by deconstructing dominant narratives on terrorism within a Canadian context. He focused his research on specific case studies where advanced interrogation tactics were used to extract intelligence from Canadians and Canadian residents. Central to...

President Obama’s recent tour of Asia has attracted much attention by the media and Asian politics monitors alike. So it is fitting that on a foggy Toronto evening, Dr. James Manicom would introduce his enlightening work on the ongoing saga of the disputed Senkaku-Diaoyu Islands and the political tensions between China and Japan. Dr. Manicom’s book, Bridging Troubled Waters: China, Japan, and Maritime Order in the East China Sea, was the focus of the Canadian International Council- Toronto Branch book launch event at the Aird & Berlis Building on April 30th. The evening was sure to please those interested in the...

The concept of international development is complex, contentious, multifaceted, and permeable around the world. The Canadian International Council – Toronto Branch’s event on Wednesday, March 26, Time for a “New Deal”: The g7+ as an Emerging Voice for Fragile States, validates the aforementioned assertion. The Canadian International Council – Toronto Branch provided a rare and invaluable opportunity to listen to and converse with delegates of the g7+ who have been integral in the development of its ‘New Deal for Engagement.’ While the discussion mainly engaged three delegates, Francesca Bomboko, Erin McCandless, and Hafeez Musca Ali Wani, four other delegates were present...

On Wednesday, March 19th, the Canadian International Council – Toronto Branch hosted a night of networking and inspirational discussion for aspiring development professionals. As an attendee, I can safely say I walked away feeling hopeful and more motivated toward my career path in international development; and with the recent cutbacks in funding by the Canadian government, this is a welcome change. The evening was sure to please NGO practitioners in various sectors as a panel of professionals including Lisa Swainston from OCIC, Connie Laurin-Bowie from Inclusion International, Jessica Dubelaar from CUSO International, Kate Giesbrecht from AMREF, Luke Stocking from Development & Peace and Dr. Jack...

Introduction As the Snowden revelations continue to capture global headlines, individual privacy has become an elevated concern for many people around the world. Intelligence gathering is an established government function, but online surveillance has created a grey area in the rules of the game. The CIC’s conference on the Electronic Surveillance State, took place on February 28th – March 1st, 2014, and brought together a variety of experts and stakeholders to discuss these issues. The event began with a keynote speech from the Ontario Information and Privacy Commissioner Ann Cavoukian, and was structured around three panels: (1) Canada and the Electronic Surveillance State; (2) The...

The Canadian International Council – Toronto Branch’s 2014 inaugural event, Making Canadian Foreign Policy, held on January 13th, was dynamic, stimulating and thought provoking. Attendees had the privilege of engaging with a panel of three distinguished individuals in the practical and theoretical realm: Mel Cappe, Neil Desai and Kim Furlong. Each speaker brought immense enthusiasm and insight to the discussion in both their remarks and rebuttals. Neil Desai commenced the dialogue, and compared Canada’s foreign policy strategy before and after the government shift in 2006, discussed Canada’s defense strategies and our goals in development. Desai asserted that after 2006, Canada became more willing to articulate...