The Role of the Canadian Armed Forces: Peacekeeping & Contemporary Realities

November 20, 2017

On today's Global Exchange Podcast, we look at the Canadian government's recent announcement to 'renew' its commitment to UN peacekeeping operations. Join host Dave Perry in conversation with LGen (ret'd) D. Michael Day as they discuss the implications of Canadian peacekeeping, the realities of intervening militarily in the 21st century, and the role of Canadian peacekeepers in today's conflict hot-spots. Along the way, they also discuss the human cost of war, and byway of that, the inevitable human cost Canadians will bear as a result of the government's commitment to new peacekeeping operations.

Participant Biographies

Dave Perry (host): the Senior Analyst and a Fellow with the Canadian Global Affairs Institute. He received his PhD in political science from Carleton University, where his dissertation examined the link between defence budgeting and defence procurement.
LGen (ret'd) D. Michael Day: former Operator within Canada’s Counter Terrorist and Special Forces community commanding both Joint Task Force Two (JTF 2), Canada’s Special Operations Forces Command as well as a variety of other command assignments. LGen Day has deployed operationally to Africa, the Balkans (3 times), the Middle East, and Afghanistan (twice). Additionally he has lived in Naples Italy where he was responsible for the preparation, training and oversight of NATO’s Response Force.

Related Links

"Is peacekeeping worth the sacrifice?" - by D. Michael Day (The Globe and Mail)
"Whatever Happened to Peacekeeping? The Future of a Tradition" - by Jocelyn Coulon & Michel Liégeois (CGAI Research Paper)
"Canada in Africa: Finding our Footing?" - by David Black (CGAI Policy Paper)
"Canada offering 200 ground troops for future UN peacekeeping operations" - by Murray Brewster (CBC News)
"Canada's top general pushes back against critics of peacekeeping plan" (CBC News)

Book Recommendations

LGen (ret'd) D. Michael Day: “The Future of War: A History” by Lawrence Freedman | “The Return of History: Conflict, Migration, and Geopolitics in the Twenty-First Century” by Jennifer Welsh | “The Hacked World Order: How Nations Fight, Trade, Maneuver, and Manipulate in the Digital Age” by Michael Byers