Ultimately, everybody serves at the behest of the new Czar and is in a constant effort to maintain their position of power, largely by ingratiating themselves with Putin. The Wagner mutiny was driven by Prigozhin’s own fall from grace.
Ukraine is unlikely to eject the Russian Federation from all of its occupied territories this year. Retaking a major city like Mariupol might represent a realistic best-case scenario for the offensive, with significant swaths of other territories, including Crimea, remaining under Russian control.
There is a temptation to view defence research as being the same as spending on defence itself and that Ottawa should minimize it to focus on domestic priorities. But from nuclear power to the internet and other economy-boosting innovations, research funding is important for far more than just defence.
No matter what course Canada’s energy transition takes over the next three decades, the effects will be dramatic on all aspects of Canadians’ lives. The use of nuclear power has the potential to provide the most straightforward, sustainable, and economically beneficial approach.
Canada’s military credibility among our allies is declining. We must remedy our internal issues and arrest the country’s further slide towards irrelevance. But recent rumblings of increased defence spending are promising.
With its limited military capabilities, countries are increasingly viewing Canada as irrelevant. This diminution will have serious consequences not just for this country, but also others in need internationally—as we can witness today in Haiti.
Submarines remain a key area of warfare, and Canada must make investments in this area without delay if it wants to adequately provide for the country’s security.
The present dynamics between the political leadership and the government and security bureaucracy are built on the concept that the political leadership interests are the same as the broader national interest. The worry that this is not always true has led to the extraordinary moment we are in now.
While the acquisition of the P-8 would ensure that Canada’s long-range patrol aircraft fleet will remain relevant for the foreseeable future, the overall process by which the government arrived at its selection could benefit from a rethink.
One year into the war, while the immediate threat of Ukraine’s collapse has receded, the continued economic, political, and military support from Europe and North America is essential for its very survival.
