Blog - 250 Years Later, Canada is Still Facing the “51st State” Challenge

On July 4, 2026, the United States celebrated the 250th anniversary of its Declaration of Independence from Great Britain. For Americans, this is a moment to reflect on what their country has accomplished, from the amazing (e.g., the airplane, the moon landing, semiconductors) to the horrible (e.g., slavery, Jim Crow laws, Hiroshima and Nagasaki, ICE). They have much to celebrate but also a lot to reflect on.

Read the blog by Patrick Leblond

Policy Brief - Les groupes d’autodéfense armés : entre mécanismes alternatifs de sécurité et spectre d’insécurité permanente en Haïti

This report seeks to identify the best policies for state actors in Haiti to regulate self-defense groups. It draws primarily on secondary research in Haiti, Haitian studies of vigilantism, and the work of experts from the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime (GI-TOC). It then places these Haitian experiences within the broader context of a study on vigilante groups in Nigeria, Mexico, and Burkina Faso.

Read the Policy Brief by Figaro Aurélus & Stephen Baranyi

CIPS Policy Brief - Defining Antisemitism

Prime Minister Carney addressed antisemitism in a speech on June 1st, 2026 but received criticism from some Jewish leaders who believe that it is not possible to distinguish between antisemitism and criticism of Israel.

So, the question becomes; is the rejection of Zionism antisemitic?

Read the Policy Brief by Peter Jones

Blog - Canada Leads in the Deployment of Women Police Officers to International Peace Operations

On March 30, 2026, the Gender, Peace and Development Research Network at the University of Ottawa’s Centre for International Policy Studies hosted a screening of A War Movie (Casques bleuEs), a cinéma vérité documentary that follows Canadian women peacekeepers deployed as part of the United Nations Specialized Police Team to combat sexual violence in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Read the blog by Rabih Abdallah