United in Service of Defence and Security since 1920 |
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Reconnaissance Squadron of Multinational Brigade Latvia prepares to begin EXERCISE RESOLUTE WARRIOR, at Military Base ÄdaĆŸi, on 03 November 2024. Photo credit: Combat Camera / CamĂ©ra de combat
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Dear Visitor, In this Issue: - Next RMCSD: Worldview Warfare
- Save the Date!
- Let's Get Real: An Abuse of Economics: Whatâs Trade Got to do With U.S. Tariff
- Let's Get Real: Trump 2.0 and North Korea: A Taste of Realpolitik to Come
- Opinion: Canadian Trump fans finally got it: âAmerica Firstâ is âCanada Lastâ
- In the News: Veterans reflect on Canada's peacekeeping legacy
- Event: One of Ours: The Story of Private Fred Lee - Film Screeningâ
- Membership Benefits
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15 JANUARY 2025
Rocky Mountain Conference on Security and Defence (RMCSD) |
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Richard Martin, a renowned strategic advisor and former Canadian Army officer, will explore how deeply ingrained worldviews shape strategic decisions, with a focus on the Israel-Palestinian conflict. Drawing on his concepts of Strategic Epistemology and Worldview Warfare, he will unravel how historical, cultural, and ideological lenses influence perceptions of land, identity, and sovereignty. This analysis offers a profound understanding of how contrasting beliefs drive action and fuel cycles of conflict. Worldview Warfare
How Worldviews Shape Perceptions of History and Identity
Richard Martin Wednesday, 15 January 2025
1800 hrs (MT) via Zoom
All are welcome. Registration required.
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Save the Date! The Rocky Mountain Conference on Security and Defence (RMCSD) will feature Lieutenant-General J.O. Michel Maisonneuve, CMM, MSC, CD (Retired) in February and Major-General Sylvain MĂ©nard, MSM, CD (Retired) in April. Stay tuned for more details! |
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LET'S GET REAL
An Abuse of Economics: Whatâs Trade Got to do With U.S. Tariffs?
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In the normal course of economics, tariffs are an instrument of trade policy. They comprise an ad hoc financial cost imposed by an importing state on a discriminatory range of goods and services sourced from select exporting states. Importing states levy tariffs to shield their start-up industries from cheaper exports while enabling those industries to secure and enjoy economies of scale in production and distribution. Supply and demand react through market-pricing mechanisms; importersâ consumers bear the higher costs, exportersâ labour markets suffer lower employment, and in both states, capital flows are redirected to investments with higher returns.â | |
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LET'S GET REAL
Trump 2.0 and North Korea: A Taste of Realpolitik to Come
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| Photo: Shaleah Craighead, via Wikimedia Commonsâ |
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The Trump 2.0 regime will be characterized by loyalty, pragmatism and transactional-ism as much as otherwise. These traits will manifest in the Korean peninsula and Indo-pacific, and likewise elsewhere. Smaller states should take note, such as Canada. Three points deserve diagnostic analysis.
Trump cites South Korea as a âmoney machineâ that should pay materially more to host the 28,500 troops comprising US Forces Korea. Without greater payback, the risk of US troop withdrawal increases, and with it, the vulnerability of South Korea to attack from North Korea (DPRK); President Kim Jong Un continues to state the defeat of South Korea (ROK) as DPRKâs strategic objective. Previously, Trump 1.0 assigned little importance to security and defence issues in the region. Will this reasoning now apply to the 50,000+ troops in US Forces Japan? Such argumentation is consistent with the reasoned pragmatism and transactional-ism surrounding the Trump regimeâs reluctance to fund NATO without increased contributions from NATO allies, such as Canada.â | |
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OPINION
Canadian Trump fans finally got it: âAmerica Firstâ is âCanada Lastâ
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Andrew Mitrovica | Al Jazeelaâ
I donât know about you, but, recently, I have enjoyed watching an entertaining spasm of populist-on-populist violence.
Perhaps âviolenceâ is too strong a word. Populist-on-populist âanimusâ may be a more accurate way to describe how Canadaâs two leading populist charlatans have been responding to the threat made by their populist hero â American President-elect Donald Trump â to impose 25 percent tariffs on Canadian goods and services exported to the United States.
The glorious spectacle began when Ontarioâs semi-coherent premier, Doug Ford, and the slightly more articulate Conservative Party leader, self-styled tough guy and would-be prime minister, Pierre Poilievre, recognised that the inevitable meaning of Trumpâs xenophobic-drenched âAmerica Firstâ vow translated into âCanada Lastâ. | |
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IN THE NEWS
Veterans reflect on Canada's peacekeeping legacy
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RAUSI Past President Major Kent Griffiths, MMM, CD (Retired), served as master of ceremonies for daily Field of Crosses events leading up to Remembrance Day. His reflections, shaped by years of peacekeeping experience, were recently featured in a CBC news article. |
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| One of Ours: The Story of Private Fred Lee - Film ScreeningâWednesday, 4 December, 1600hrs
University of Calgary
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| Who was Private Fred Lee? Born of Chinese heritage from a small interior town at a time when anti-Chinese racism made life impossible for Chinese lads, the story of Private Fred Lee was not supposed to happen.
Join a special screening, followed by a conversation with the film's director Jack Gin.â |
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âRAUSIâs legacy dates back over a century, originating during WWI. Being a member means youâre part of a historic tradition of national serviceâan inspiring link to generations of Canadians dedicated to shaping and protecting Canadaâs place in the world. RAUSI remains a unique institution at the forefront of national defence dialogue and professional development. Visit our website to learn more about why membership is invaluable today. |
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âAll members are welcome to contribute newsworthy matters to future monthly issues of Dispatches by e-mailing us at admin@rausi.ca. The content submission deadline is Monday, 23 December 2024. Questions or submissions? Write to admin@rausi.ca.âââ We are excited to keep you informed about RAUSI, our upcoming events, and our news. If you ever find that this e-newsletter is not for you, simply click on the link to Unsubscribe. |
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RAUSI is a Canadian-based forum for global civilians, humanitarian, military and international police communities to present original thought on trending issues, in their formative stages, as they relate to global security and defence. Formed in 1920 as a think tank, RAUSI later evolved into a service organization for veterans in the decades following the World Wars. In this new era, RAUSI has evolved back into a think tank, publishing original content, curating extant articles, and sponsoring speakerâs symposia which amplify cross-disciplined models of 21st century security and defence. |
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Copyright © 2024. Royal Alberta United Service Institute (RAUSI), All rights reserved.
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