Section: Ottawa Citizen (Canada)
Morse: Putin’s wars are mere power grabs
On Aug. 24, former Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev’s granddaughter Nina, a formidable Kremlinologist in her own right, tweeted: “if you think that Putin won’t start a war in order to stay in the Kremlin, don’t. He can, he will.” He has. While the Sept. 28 Munk debate was demonstrating that all politics is indeed local, Vladimir...
Observers arrive to monitor federal vote under changes to election law
An international observer mission has set down in Ottawa to monitor and report on the federal election — including whether controversial changes to Canada’s election law help or hurt the democratic process. The six-person mission, deployed by the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), is the first to monitor a Canadian...
U.S. can do little to save CIA-backed rebels in Syria
CIA-backed rebels in Syria, who had begun to put serious pressure on President Bashar Assad’s forces, are now under Russian bombardment with little prospect of rescue by their American patrons, the Associated Press writes. Here is the rest of the Associated Press article: Over the past week, Russia has directed parts of its air campaign...
Next defence minister will face new quandary in Syria: the Russians
Canada’s next defence minister – either new or returning – will have to hit the ground running right after the federal election as the crisis in Syria threatens to pull western forces into a conflict with Russia and undercut the war against the Islamic State. Russia’s decision to enter the Syrian war in support of that country’s...
Heartfield: A culture war will only tear Canada apart
There’s a striking commonality about the letters to the newspaper and calls to phone-in shows about the niqab issue. People on opposite sides use the same language: This is not my Canada. This is an attack on Canada’s fundamental values. I’m afraid that the niqab (or the ban on the niqab) will destroy the Canada where I grew up,...
Engine failure sidelines Canadian destroyer involved in major NATO exercise
An aging Canadian warship, on its way to military exercises that are designed to send a strong message to Russia about the West’s resolve over the crisis in Ukraine, is now sidelined because of engine troubles. One of the four engines on the 43-year-old HMCS Athabaskan stopped working, sending the destroyer to a port in England for about a...
Diplomatica: Colombia deals with a refugee crisis of its own
While the Syrian refugee crisis continues to pre-occupy Europe and persists as an election issue in Canada, a refugee crisis of a different kind is dogging the government of Colombia. So far, 20,000 Colombians who were living in Venezuela for reasons of work and school have left everything behind after being forced by the closure of the border...
“Deconflicting” the airspace over Syria – new rules will guide RCAF and other coalition air forces
Now that Russian warplanes are flying bombing missions over Syria, Pentagon officials and their Russian counterparts have opened the lines of communication that had been shut down for the last 18 months. The U.S. and Russia are in talks about “deconfliction” – or as U.S. officials explain – putting protocols in place “to avoid any possible...
Removing niqab ‘enhances integrity’ of citizenship, government tells top court
The politically charged federal policy that forbids the wearing of Islamic veils during public citizenship ceremonies “enhances the integrity” of becoming a Canadian, the government says. In the latest move in the hot-button case, Department of Justice lawyers have filed an application with the Supreme Court asking it to grant an appeal in the...
Russia carries out first airstrikes against Islamic State in Syria
Russian military jets carried out airstrikes against the Islamic State group in Syria on Wednesday for the first time, the Russian defence ministry confirmed. Here is the rest of the Associated Press article: The airstrikes targeted ISIS positions, vehicles and warehouses that Russia believes belong to the militants, ministry spokesman Igor...
