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HomeBlogDavid Carment in The Hamilton Spectator: Opportunities in Ukraine Crisis

David Carment in The Hamilton Spectator: Opportunities in Ukraine Crisis

Image credit: NATO

By David Carment

IPD Senior Fellow David Carment and Dani Belo wrote an op-ed for the Hamilton Spectator on the political capital at the Biden administration’s disposal and its goals in the Ukraine crisis.

The following are excerpts from the original piece published on January 27, 2022.

Based on America’s actions so far it appears the Biden administration is looking to shift world opinion away from a multiparty peace process focused on a relatively small sub-region within Ukraine to pan-regional crisis management with the U.S. leading the way. America’s strategic goal therefore is to be sufficiently disruptive such that rapprochement between Russia and Europe remains out of reach.

READ HERE

David Carment is a Senior Fellow at the Institute for Peace & Diplomacy and a Professor of International Affairs at the Norman Paterson School of International Affairs. 

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The Western powers have failed to effectively manage the increasing threat of proliferation in the Middle East. While the international community is concerned with Iran’s nuclear program, Saudi Arabia has moved forward with developing its own nuclear program, and independent studies show that Israel has longed possessed dozens of nuclear warheads. The former is a member of the treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT), while the latter has refused to sign the international agreement. 

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What is the current economic landscape in the Middle East? While global foreign direct investment is expected to fall drastically in the post-COVID era, the World Bank reported a 5% contraction in the economic output of the Middle East and North African (MENA) countries in 2020 due to the pandemic. While oil prices are expected to rebound with normalization in demand, political instability, regional and geopolitical tensions, domestic corruption, and a volatile regulatory and legal environment all threaten economic recovery in the Middle East. What is the prospect for economic growth and development in the region post-pandemic, and how could MENA nations promote sustainable growth and regional trade moving forward?

At the same time, Middle Eastern diaspora communities have become financially successful and can help promote trade between North America and the region. In this respect, the diaspora can become vital intermediaries for advancing U.S. and Canada’s business interests abroad. Promoting business diplomacy can both benefit the MENA region and be an effective and positive way to advance engagement and achieve foreign policy goals of the North Atlantic.

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– Elizabeth Hagedorn: Washington correspondent for Al-Monitor

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