CDS Professional Reading List: Canadian Security Policy and Strategy

After the terrorist attacks of 9/11, which targeted the heart of financial and military power in the United States, Canada once again proved its credentials as a key American ally. With the imminent end of its combat role in Afghanistan, however, it is time to take stock of how Canada has adapted to the exigencies of the post-9/11 world and to consider the future directions for its foreign, defence, and security policies. This timely exploration and re-assessment of Canada's approach to strategic affairs offers a diverse set of nuanced, sometimes controversial, and always insightful perspectives on the most pressing security challenges that Canada currently faces. Bringing together noted experts on these issues - including a Canadian Senator, a past Minister of National Defence, former high-level military officers, and top scholars - this collection provides powerful ideas and guidance for the difficult task of formulating an overarching national security strategy.

Completely revised and updated, this edition provides a thematic interpretation of post-1945 Canadian foreign policy. It is ideal for students in Canadian foreign policy and international politics, as well as for anyone interested in general Canadian studies and political science.

Since 2008, the CSIS Academic Outreach (AO) program has devoted a consistent portion of its efforts to the examination of non-traditional and future security threats. Together those earlier efforts paved the way for a formal introduction to the field of foresight for the Service in 2012. Referring to the range of methods required to conduct a structured exploration of plausible futures, foresight presents a valuable opportunity for government generally, and the security and intelligence community specifically, to anticipate potential, long-term security developments and challenge existing assumptions about current issues. Successful foresight initiatives, however, require clear objectives and a flexible approach that reflect the culture of the organization in which they are being implemented. In light of its experience, the Academic Outreach program has begun establishing the basis of a CSIS-specific approach to foresight, one that is neither too abstract to escape the practical mandate of the department, nor too specific so as to remain absorbed by present-day concerns only. To continue refining this approach and benefit from foresight being applied to a wide range of topics relevant to the Service and broader community, CSIS held from January through March 2014 a three-part workshop series to examine Canada’s national security interests and possible related risks and threats in the year 2025. Based on formal presentation and summary papers delivered by leading non-governmental experts, the workshops provided opportunities to explore the future of: power and the state; the global economy and Canada’s place in it; and war, conflict and the use of force. The workshop participants, deliberately kept to a small number to maximize interaction, were drawn from across the government of Canada, and especially its security and intelligence community. Their interactive deliberations attempted, based on the presenting experts’ material, to identify drivers which may influence Canada’s future national security interests. The result of this initiative is encapsulated in this report, which comprises highlights from the discussion and the papers commissioned from the guest speakers. – p. 5

Long at the margins of global affairs and at the edge of our mental map of the world, the Arctic has found its way to the center of the issues which will challenge and define our world in the twenty-first century: energy security and the struggle for natural resources, climate change and its uncertain speed and consequences, the return of great power competition, the remaking of global trade patterns...In 'The Future History of the Arctic', geopolitics expert Charles Emmerson weaves together the history of the region with reportage and reflection, revealing a vast and complex area of the globe, loaded with opportunity and rich in challenges. He defines the forces which have shaped the Arctic's history and introduces the players in politics, business, science and society who are struggling to mold its future.The Arctic is coming of age. This engrossing book tells the story of how that is happening and how it might happen-through the stories of those who live there, those who study it, and those who will determine its destiny.

Considerable progress has been made with this approach but questions remain regarding its sustainability. The authors demonstrate that the research and experience of academics and practitioners can be consolidated as Canada attempts to create a new standard for dealing with the security challenges of the 21st century.