BATTLE RHYTHM PODCAST

September 2, 2020

In the 32nd episode of Battle Rhythm, Stef and Steve discuss returning to campus, Trump losing support with the military, Sudan’s terrorism designation and Navalny’s poisoning. Our feature interview guests are CDSN member, Thomas Juneau and CDSN co-director, Philippe Lagassé, [24:35], discussing their recent journal article on the academia‐policy gap in Canadian defence. This week’s RnR segment [46:00], where we will provide some levity in these trying times with entertainment reviews and suggestions.

This week’s RnR picks:

1. TV: "Money Heist"
2. Movies: "Guns Akimbo" 
3. Books: The Spenser Series 

Guest Biographies:

• Thomas Juneau: assistant professor at the Graduate School of Public and International Affairs at the University of Ottawa. His research focuses mostly on the Middle East, in particular on Iran and Yemen. He is also interested in Canadian foreign and defence policy, in the relationship between intelligence and policy, and in international relations theory. He is the author of Squandered Opportunity: Neoclassical realism and Iranian foreign policy (Stanford University Press, 2015), editor of Strategic Analysis in Support of International Policy-Making: Case studies in achieving analytical relevance (Rowman & Littlefield, 2017), co-editor of Iranian Foreign Policy since 2001: Alone in the world (Routledge, 2013), and co-editor of Asie centrale et Caucase: Une sécurité mondialisée (Presses de l'Université Laval, 2004). He has also published many articles and book chapters on the Middle East, international relations theories and pedagogical methods, notably in International Affairs, International Studies Perspectives, Political Science Quarterly, Middle East Policy, Orbis, International Journal, and Canadian Foreign Policy Journal. Prior to joining the University of Ottawa, he worked for the Department of National Defence from 2003 to 2014, chiefly as a strategic analyst covering the Middle East. He was also a policy officer and an assistant to the deputy minister. 
• Philippe Lagassé: associate professor and the Barton Chair at the Norman Paterson School of International Affairs. Lagassé’s research focuses on defence policy and procurement, and on the roles of Parliament, the Crown, and executive power in Westminster states, notably in the areas of foreign and military affairs. He is currently completing a project comparing legislative oversight of the military and beginning a new project on prerogative power reform in Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom. Both projects have been funded by the Social Science and Humanities Research Council. He is also the defence procurement co-director of the Canadian Defence and Security Network. In addition to his academic work, Lagassé serves as an advisor and consultant to the Canadian government. Between 2012-2014 he served as a member of the Independent Review Panel overseeing the evaluation of options to replace Canada’s CF-18 fighter aircraft, and he has been a member of the Independent Review Panel for Defence Acquisition within the Department of National Defence since 2015. His teaching and supervision at NPSIA focus on Canadian government and policymaking, comparative defence policy, and military and strategic studies. 

Host Biographies:

• Stéfanie von Hlatky: Associate Professor of political studies at Queen’s University and the former Director of the Queen’s Centre for International and Defence Policy (CIDP). Her research focuses on NATO, armed forces, military interventions, and defence policy. Fellow with the Canadian Global Affairs Institute.
• Stephen M. Saideman: Paterson Chair in International Affairs, as well as Director of the Canadian Defence and Security Network – Réseau Canadien Sur La Défense et la Sécurité, and Professor of International Affairs at Carleton University. Fellow with the Canadian Global Affairs Institute.

Recomended Links:

• "Trump’s popularity slips in latest Military Times poll — and more troops say they’ll vote for Biden" by Leo Shane III, Military Times 
  
  
• "Bridging the academic‐policy gap in Canadian defence: What more can be done?" by Thomas Juneau & Philippe Lagassé