Op-Eds Archive
Chile y los desafíos de la “indovación” (Article in Spanish)
CIGI Chair of Global Governance and Distinguished Fellow Jorge Heine says that management and production lessons can be taken from India in order to help Chile succeed in its "year of innovation."
Egypt and Iran: A rapprochement is unlikely
"Morsi and Ahmadinejad’s shared Islamist political ideologies will do little to change the hard strategic realities — at home and in the region — that keep them apart," writes CIGI Senior Fellow Bessma Momani, commenting on Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s visit to Cairo to attend a meeting of the Organization of Islamic States.
Putting too many eggs in Europe’s basket
"Upgrading our infrastructure to enable greater diversification of energy exports should be the federal government’s top national priority," according to CIGI Distinguished Fellow Fen Osler Hampson and Derek Burney.
How Egypt’s failed leaders made soccer and politics run amok
CIGI Senior Fellow Bessma Momani looks at Egypt two years after the revolution that overthrew Hosni Mubarak. She argues, "there’s little chance that Egypt will regain the confidence of its people through politics or sport anytime soon."
Role of street trader needs to be better understood
"The contribution that street traders make to the economies of cities and the food security needs of the poor need to be better understood by policy-makers... [Street] trading needs to be seen more as an economic development concern than an urban management issue," says Jonathan Crush, CIGI Chair in Global Migration and Development.
Canada needs to reverse its slacker reputation on security
In their latest iPolitics column, CIGI Distinguished Fellow Fen Osler Hampson and Derek Burney address Canadian national security following allegations that a Canadian participated in an attack on a natural gas plant in Algeria. They say, "the so-called global war against terrorism may be over with the killing of Osama bin Laden, but that is no excuse to let our guard down or think that the threat within our borders has diminished."
Can Canada navigate Asia’s geopolitical minefields in 2013?
In an op-ed to Postmedia News, CIGI's Simon Palamar and colleagues examine the Government of Canada's efforts to strengthen relations with Asia. They say that "despite Harper’s efforts to place Asia near the top of Canada’s foreign policy priorities, warm economic relations cannot hide some key political differences that [Canada has] with Asia."
Failure of the food market means many in our city go hungry
In an op-ed to the Cape Times, Jonathan Crush, CIGI chair in global migration and development, and Jane Battersby-Lennard look at food price increases in South Africa. They argue that "[Cape Town] urgently needs to develop a food security strategy that goes beyond a focus on production."
President Obama’s sombre second act
In their latest iPolitics column, CIGI Distinguished Fellow Fen Osler Hampson and Derek Burney look at American politics and the second term of President Obama. They say, "the daily grind of party trench warfare, the sluggish economy and the fatigue of more traditional warfare is taking its toll on customary optimism and confidence."
Demand for Arab ‘Strongmen’ Weaker Than Ever
"Today, the people of the Arab world want technocrats, functionaries, and doers to lead them," says CIGI Senior Fellow Bessma Momani. "Long-winded speeches and convoluted ideological arguments are not satisfying to a class of educated, well-traveled, and increasingly cosmopolitan people."
Global Governance and International Development in 2013
"In 2013, the United Nations will digest the results and recommendations of its widespread consultative exercises to determine what should succeed the MDGs in 2015. Hopefully, with the priority development goals clearly identified, and some lateral thinking applied, it will become evident that dealing with climate change is not necessarily a negative sum game," writes Senior Fellow Barry Carin, offering predictions for the year ahead in global governance and international development.
A North American alternative to a Russian monopoly
"If Canada is to promote Arctic maritime, resource, tourism, and community development while meeting important social goals in the new Arctic, then better national planning, smart new federal infrastructure investment, and improved private-public partnerships will be essential," says CIGI Senior Fellow John Higginbotham.