The current health crisis has exacerbated the rivalry between great powers. But it has also given Europe a few more opportunities to engage with Russia. In a world increasingly framed by great power rivalry, deepening ties between Moscow and Beijing have been one of the most salient features of global politics in recent years. Yet...Read More

As the COVID-19 crisis has progressed, US-China relations have begun to acquire a logic of comprehensive, zero-sum confrontation. Even in the event that a lengthy pandemic reaffirms the need for international cooperation, the processes that have now been initiated will be difficult to undo. Mutual suspicion has become rife and talk of a “new Cold...Read More

The latest Munich Security Conference hosted a great deal of talk about Europe as a greater strategic player. But for now, as it embarks on a new decade, most of this remains just talk. At the recently concluded Munich Security Conference, French President Emmanuel Macron reiterated his demands for a renewed discussion regarding a possible ‘reset’ in...Read More

Despite many hiccups along the road and differing conceptions of what form it would take, throughout the post-Cold War period both Russia and the European Union remained committed to the aim of creating a single European space from Lisbon to Vladivostok. That is, until 2014: Russia’s annexation of Crimea and the onset of the Ukraine...Read More

A creative and flexible partnership between Ottawa and Minsk would help to boost regional order, and expand Canada’s influence in the Eurasian zone. The recent renegotiation of NAFTA has highlighted Canada’s overwhelming dependence on trade with the United States. US President Donald Trump’s comfort with imposing tariffs on its northern neighbour raises questions about access...Read More

This past spring, while on an academic research trip to Vladivostok, I stumbled across a museum of naval history. I wasn’t expecting to learn anything about Canadian history during my visit to the Russian Far East. But then I met Yuri. One of the guides at the museum, Yuri was a former Soviet and Russian...Read More

Princeton University Professor John Ikenberry, one of the most articulate defenders of the open, rules-based system that dominates international politics today, claims that the past two centuries should be remembered as “the liberal ascendancy.” In this narrative, conservatives have become economic liberals, socialists have become social liberals, the institutions that regulate international affairs have proliferated...Read More