The late Canadian diplomat and commentator John Wendell Holmes believed that the best public policy emerged out of an appreciation of history and context. This essay series, sponsored by the Holmes Trust and first published online, reflects on six contemporary themes in Canadian foreign and security policy, with historians considering the background of each issue and practitioners responding with a view to the future. Together, the essays demonstrate the value of history to a decision maker’s analytical calculus and offer practical suggestions to inform Canada’s response to the challenges ahead.

Cette série d'essais est disponible en français.

About the Authors

Aaron Shull is the managing director and general counsel at CIGI. He is a senior legal executive and is recognized as a leading expert on complex issues at the intersection of public policy, emerging technology, cybersecurity, privacy and data protection.

Adam Chapnick is professor of defence studies at the Royal Military College of Canada and deputy director of education at the Canadian Forces College.

Jennifer Levin Bonder is a visiting instructor at the Center for Canadian-American Studies at Western Washington University.

Susan Colbourn is associate director of the Triangle Institute for Security Studies based at the Sanford School of Public Policy at Duke University and is the co-editor of International Journal.

Laurence Deschamps-Laporte is an assistant professor of political science and scientific director of the Montreal Centre for International Studies at l’Université de Montréal.

Brendan Kelly is the head of the Historical Section and deputy director of the Foreign Policy Research and Foresight Division at Global Affairs Canada.

Meredith Lilly is associate professor and Simon Reisman Chair in International Economic Policy at Carleton University, and associate director of the M.A. program at the Norman Paterson School of International Affairs.

David M. Malone joined the United Nations University on March 1, 2013 as its sixth rector. In that role, he holds the rank of Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations.

Rohinton P. Medhora is a CIGI distinguished fellow, professor of practice at McGill University, and an expert in international economic relations, innovation policy, development economics and governance.

Michael Cotey Morgan is associate professor of history at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and author of The Final Act: The Helsinki Accords and the Transformation of the Cold War (Princeton University Press, 2018).

Leigh Sarty is adjunct professor at the Institute of European, Russian and Eurasian Studies and a senior fellow at the Norman Paterson School of International Affairs, Carleton University, and senior fellow at the Bill Graham Centre for Contemporary International History, University of Toronto.

Timothy Andrews Sayle is associate professor of history and director of the International Relations Program at the University of Toronto.

Heidi Tworek is a CIGI senior fellow and an expert on platform governance, the history of media technologies, and health communications. She is a Canada Research Chair, associate professor of history and public policy, and director of the Centre for the Study of Democratic Institutions at the University of British Columbia, Vancouver campus.