A Ukrainian national flag waves over the center of Kharkiv, February 4, 2022. Photo by Evgeniy Maloletka. It’s time to stop pretending that Canada isn’t at war with Russia. On Tuesday, April 19, in advance of a new Russian offensive in Ukraine’s eastern Donbas region, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced
Continue readingAuthor: Yves Engler
Canadian Dimension: Canada’s military buildup in the Arctic threatens climate and Indigenous peoples
Soldiers from the 4th Canadian Division’s Arctic Response Company Group near Cornwallis Island, Nunavut. Photo courtesy 4th Canadian Division Public Affairs/Flickr. The militarists’ narrative goes something like this: despite not facing any imminent conventional military threats to its Arctic, Canada must significantly bolster the defence of its northernmost borders, otherwise
Continue readingCanadian Dimension: Revisiting our secret role in Ukraine’s 2004 Orange Revolution
On November 22, 2004, hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians took to the streets in protest of the elections that took place that year. Photo courtesy the National News Agency of Ukraine. To understand the present, one must study the past. One of the wealthier parts of the Soviet Union, Ukraine’s
Continue readingCanadian Dimension: How Canada’s support for NATO expansion led to the Ukraine tragedy
Justin Trudeau attends a NATO Summit in Warsaw, July 9, 2016. Photo courtesy the Prime Minister’s Office. Moscow’s illegal invasion of Ukraine has been condemned around the world. The suffering of Ukrainian civilians and soldiers is shocking, and the worst is yet to come as Russian forces push deeper into
Continue readingCanadian Dimension: What were members of Canada’s special forces doing at the Freedom Convoy occupation?
Commandos from Canada’s Joint Task Force 2 conduct a night raid in Afghanistan. Image courtesy Simon & Schuster. Reports that members of Canada’s elite special operations force are supporting the right wing anti-vaccine mandate protests in Ottawa are troubling. The federal government has invested heavily in training these individuals and
Continue readingCanadian Dimension: No, Canada shouldn’t be arming Ukraine
Leadership course at the Ukrainian National Academy of Land Forces. Photo courtesy Press Service of the Ukrainian National Academy of Land Forces/Flickr. Why would a progressive media outlet regurgitate talking points from the Conservative Party and hawkish media pundits about Canada arming the Ukrainian military? On January 31, The Tyee
Continue readingCanadian Dimension: On NATO all parties agree—follow orders without question
NATO flag flies in Ukraine during a visit to Kyiv by NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, July 2017. Photo courtesy the Presidential Administration of Ukraine/Wikimedia Commons. NATO’s proponents often claim it’s a democratic force, but in Canada’s case the alliance highlights the hollowness of our democracy. A healthy polity requires
Continue readingCanadian Dimension: Of course these ‘experts’ are pro-military—follow the money
A light armoured vehicle (LAV) manufactured by General Dynamics Land Systems Canada in London, Ontario. Photo courtesy General Dynamics Land Systems. The military and arms industry sustain many ideological institutions, which goes a long way in explaining the strength of militarist ideology. Last week, the Globe and Mail published an
Continue readingCanadian Dimension: Reducing conflict with China an environmental necessity
HMCS Winnipeg, along with HNLMS Evertsen and RFA Tidespring, are shown in formation in the Taiwan Strait during Exercise Pacific Crown, September 9, 2021. Photo courtesy the UK Ministry of Defence. As the likelihood of military conflict with China grows it’s worth assessing the global balance of power. This offers
Continue readingCanadian Dimension: How the Canadian military is fueling the climate crisis
Members of the Canadian Armed Forces during an operation in Afghanistan. The photo has been digitally altered for operational security reasons. Photo courtesy the Canadian Armed Forces website. The following is an excerpt from Yves Engler’s new book, Stand on Guard for Whom? A People’s History of the Canadian Military,
Continue readingCanadian Dimension: How Canada’s role in the ‘Core Group’ is weakening Haitian democracy
A supporter of Jean-Bertrand Aristide, Haiti’s first democratically elected president, during election day rallies, Port au Prince, November 28, 2010. Photo by mediahacker/Flickr. It is remarkable how easily the Canadian government gets away with meddling in foreign elections throughout the Global South. Unbeknownst to most progressives, Canada is part of
Continue readingCanadian Dimension: A response to Evan Solomon’s hit job on ‘white man’ Jim Harris
Former Green Party leader Jim Harris. Still image courtesy CTV News. It was quite the performance. CTV Power Play host Evan Solomon’s response to former Green Party leader Jim Harris demonstrates just how enamoured the media is with Annamie Paul’s pro-imperialist identitarian politics. While I have ideological differences with Harris,
Continue readingCanadian Dimension: Media ignore politics behind Green leader’s demise
Former Green Party leader Annamie Paul addresses supporters, September 17, 2021. Photo from Facebook. Annamie Paul’s perspective has overwhelmingly shaped coverage of the dramatic and bitter conflict within the Green Party. The media has even uncritically reported Paul’s claim that Elizabeth May, who abused her authority to promote Paul’s candidacy
Continue readingCanadian Dimension: Reactionary anti-China propaganda not in Canada’s self-interest
Justin Trudeau meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping at the 2015 G20 summit in Turkey. Photo from Twitter. Following the recent federal election, right-wing pundits have sounded the alarm about a conspiracy of “foreign influence” behind Chinese-Canadians switching their vote from the Conservatives to the Liberals. Meanwhile, most of the
Continue readingCanadian Dimension: Why Canada must confront the myths of its imperial past
The Emin Pasha Relief Expedition (1886-1889) emerging out of the dense forest onto the plains of Africa. Led in part by Canadian William Grant Stairs, the expedition helped Belgian King Leopold II conquer the resource-rich Katanga region of the Congo. Image from Wikimedia Commons. Throughout the 2021 federal election campaign,
Continue readingCanadian Dimension: NDP’s same old foreign policy is a massive disappointment
NDP leader Jagmeet Singh on the campaign trail. Photo courtesy the New Democratic Party. Among the New Democratic Party’s 115-page 2021 electoral platform, “Ready For Better,” only one-and-a-half pages are dedicated to Canadian foreign policy—and they leave a lot to be desired. Before getting into its shortcomings, let’s begin by
Continue readingCanadian Dimension: Canada’s failure in Afghanistan
A Chinook transport helicopter carrying Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper lands near Kandahar, Afghanistan, May 30, 2011. Photo by Yiorgos Karahalis. Content warning: This article contains violence that some readers may find distressing. With the Taliban quickly retaking control of Afghanistan we should be asking: what was the point of
Continue readingCanadian Dimension: The Lima Group is falling apart
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and former Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland host a gathering of foreign ministers from the Lima Group, a coalition of countries formed to “solve the Venezuela crisis.” Photo from Twitter. The Lima Group, a multilateral body formed in the Peruvian capital in 2017 with the goal
Continue readingCanadian Dimension: Canada’s fighter jet purchase is a waste of public money—and a disaster for the climate
CF-188 Hornet. Photo by Corporal Pierre Habib/Department of National Defence. How about a little friendly pressure? Hopefully that’s all it would take for left wing New Democrat MPs to join Neil Young, Stephen Lewis, Tegan and Sara, David Suzuki and many other notable Canadian and international figures in calling for
Continue readingCanadian Dimension: Canada helped destabilize Haiti. It’s time for us to back away
Canadian and Argentinian peacekeepers on foot patrol in Gonaives, Haiti following the overthrow of the country’s first democratically elected president, Jean-Bertrand Aristide. Photo courtesy the Department of National Defence. During times of instability in Haiti, progressives both in the Caribbean nation and abroad often fear impending US military intervention. This
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