IPD Roundup: The World Confronts 'America First' – Again

Welcome to IPD Roundup, the Institute for Peace & Diplomacy's biweekly digest of our latest research publications, policy discussions, and media commentary. In this edition, our work covers?how the world and Canada are facing off against a second 'America First' agenda?and more.

U.S. GRAND STRATEGY

The Rise of a Multipolar West Asia: Why the Middle East Resists Hegemony

Washington Fellow Christopher Mott writes that "The end of Pax Americana does not imply chaos or a power vacuum in the Middle East, nor will it erase long-standing regional rivalries. Instead, the emergence of a multipolar West Asia signals a return to the region’s natural equilibrium—one in which historically entrenched regional powers."

Responsible Statecraft — Biden's Foreign Policy: The Good, Bad & Ugly

In a symposium contribution, U.S. Managing Director Arta Moeini observes that "the Biden administration's failure to grasp the evolving security dynamics in West Asia and anticipate the new balance of power in that region represents a critical strategic error."

The American Mind — Mitch McConnell’s Weak Case for American Empire

Young Fellow?Dominick Sansone writes that "strategic overstretch is not a chimera used by modern-day peaceniks—it is a glaring danger to U.S. national security. Actively promoting the conditions for such a scenario to develop is a failure of statesmanship."

U.S.-Russia Proxy War in Ukraine: A Case of Deterrence Failure

Senior Fellow David Carment and Dani Belo write that "the transatlantic security community must recognize that rival powers like Russia cannot be decisively defeated nor fully isolated; they must be effectively deterred."

More From IPD

• Zachary Paikin for?Responsible Statecraft — The Budapest Memo Holds Keys to Ending the Ukraine War
• Arta Moeini and Christopher Mott for Newsweek — Syria Proves the U.S. Needs Tulsi Gabbard
• Jocelyn Coulon for Le Devoir — The Reality Principle Applied to the War in Ukraine (EN FRAN?AIS)

CANADA

Safeguarding Sovereignty: Canada's Strategic Responses to Trump's America

In IPD's latest symposium, experts assess the immediate and long-term threats of U.S. tarriffs and annexation for Canada as part of its first Strategic Foresight Brief.

From the Strategic Foresight Brief

• Sergio Marchi — Confronting Trump with Strength
• Wenran Jiang?— Rethinking Canada’s Economic Sovereignty in an Era of American Unpredictability
• Diego Marroquín — Facing the Trump Challenge: Strategic Economic Responses for Canada and Mexico
• Andrew Latham?— From Trade War to Takeover: How Canada Should Respond to Trump
• Zachary Paikin?— Canada at a Crossroads: Safeguarding Sovereignty in an Era of Global Uncertainty
• David Carment — From Reaction to Strategy: Canada’s Strategic Response to U.S. Economic Coercion
• Johnsen Romero?— With Friends Like These: Hard Lessons in Unlearning Canadian Dependency

Washington Post — Trump’s Tariff Whiplash

Senior Fellow David Polanksy writes that "whether this newfound Canadian public spirit translates into a sustained transformation of Canadian politics will likely depend on whether Trump decides it’s a good idea to go another round."

The Hill Times — Friend or Faux? Managing the End of the ‘Special Relationship’

Senior Fellow David Carment writes that "today, Canada’s policy establishment finds itself desperately playing catch-up to an ambitious Trump agenda, coming to terms with the fact that its southern neighbour is now in a position to inflict significant harm on the Canadian economy."

1945 — Donald Trump’s Tariffs: A Declaration of Economic War on Canada

Senior Fellow Andrew Latham argues that "the notion that Canada can rely on the United States for economic security has been shattered. While some may argue that Trump’s trade policies are merely an aberration, the broader trend suggests otherwise."

More From IPD

• Zachary Paikin and Jocelyn Coulon in Toronto Star — Justin Trudeau Told the World Canada Was ‘Back.’ A Decade Later, as He Exits, Here’s How That’s Played Out
• Louise Blais on TVA Nouvelles — Annexation of Canada: Trump is Serious (EN EN FRAN?AIS)
• Andrew Latham for?The Hill — Open Auditions to Be America’s 51st State
• David Polansky for?The Hub — President Trump’s Inauguration and What It Means for Canada
• Jocelyn Coulon for?La Presse?— Is Canada Already Lost? (EN FRAN?AIS)
• Louise Blais on Radio-Canada?— Should We Respond to U.S. Tariffs With Other Tariffs? (EN FRAN?AIS)
• Jeremy Paltiel in South China Morning Post — Will Donald Trump’s Return to Power Deepen Divisions Between Canada and China?
• Andrew Erskine for?The Hill Times — Canada’s Military Has a Give-and-take Dilemma With Its Force Capacity
• David Polansky for?National Post — How Canada Gets Its Groove Back

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