How I Became Canadian
My route to Canada was more indirect than others but my experience in leaving Czechoslovakia would parallel that of many who faced the trauma of those days. I suspect my love for the Canada I came to know probably would resonate with…
A Matter of Conscience: Early Warning of Russia’s Invasion of Czechoslovakia
Editor’s Note: Knowing too little is always a handicap, but knowing too much can present its own dilemmas. As Charles Cole graphically recounts in his narrative of the Soviet intervention in Czechoslovakia in 1968, early warning of the Russian-led invasion presented a…
Students on Ice: Inspiring Tomorrow’s Leaders
The year is 2013. The players are the eight Arctic states and six indigenous permanent participant organizations. Canada has just resumed the Chair of the Arctic Council and has decided to host its first meeting on board Canada’s newly minted icebreaker while…
Strengthening Federalism and Democracy in Pakistan: Canadians Lend a Hand
Editor’s Note: Ms. Fruman is a Canadian and the former Country Director for NDI Pakistan. While Mr. Preston believes that Bob Rae offers policy makers in Ottawa a future for Canadian foreign policy, Ms. Fruman offers a “test case” on how Canadians…
Pursuing Good Ideas: An Interview with Bob Rae
Editor’s Note: Bob Rae’s new book, Exporting Democracy: The Risks and Rewards of Pursuing a Good Idea, has been reviewed extensively and well, perhaps most notably by Andrew Preston of Cambridge University in The Globe and Mail on November 12, 2010. bout…
Fake Lake Follies
Editor’s Note: PAFSO Canadian Foreign Service Officer Award recipient Sanjeev Chowdhury, now Director General, Summits, spoke to a PAFSO Professional Committee breakfast gathering in October 2010. It was an often humorous take on some serious issues, on Staging back-to-back summits successfully, and…
Retirees on the go – Des retraités actifs
When our Ambassadors, Consuls General and High Commissioners retire from the public service, they usually join the Retired Heads of Mission Association, l’Association des Chefs de Mission a la Retraite. They do so principally because they want to stay in touch with…
Enjeux, paradoxe et absence
Dans ma dernière chronique de bout, j’ai signalé que l’APASE souhaitait promouvoir une discussion sérieuse sur le rôle et l’avenir de notre profession. Paradoxalement, au moment de rédiger le présent texte, nous en sommes en pleine campagne électorale fédérale qui se caractérise…
“Interesting times”, exciting times
“May you live in interesting times” goes the old Chinese curse, but few diplomats who love their profession would want it otherwise! These are very interesting times, and where they lead is uncertain.
