2009

Resource Industries and Security Issues in Northern Alberta
by Dr. Tom Flanagan

The rapid expansion of natural-resource industries in northern Alberta, accompanied by growing environmentalist and aboriginal-rights movements, raises issues of possible extra-legal and even violent resistance to industrial development. In this paper Dr. Tom Flanagan assesses the threats posed by five potential sources of opposition: individual saboteurs, eco-terrorists, mainstream environmentalists, First Nations, and the Métis people.

Dancing on Snake Heads in Yemen
by Iris Glosemeyer
Yemen, known as a terrorist haven, is faced with a number of serious challenges and yet its government seems unaware of the problems that lie ahead. Iris Glosemeyer argues that because of its priorities, the government will be unable to quell problems arising from Yemeni political, socio-economic, and security spheres.

2008

Contemporary Piracy off the Horn of Africa
by Patrick Lennox, Ph.D.
As the instability in the state of Somalia grows, the threat of piracy in the Gulf of Aden only increases. Patrick Lennox, the J.L. Granatstein Postdoctoral Fellow at the University of Calgary's Centre for Military Strategic Studies, explores the economic impact of piracy in the Gulf of Aden and what can be done to help bring stability back to the region.

Mexico: Current and Future Political, Economic and Security Trends
by Dr. Hal Klepak
Two major problems still face Mexico's economic and democratic development: deeply entrenched security problems across the country and its heavy economic dependence on the United States. In this paper looks at these problems and assess Mexico's future political, economic, and security trends.

Georgia: Risk and Opportunity
by Neil MacFarlane, Ph.D.
Although a small state, Georgia sits on an important transit route for oil and gas leaving the Caspian Basin and flowing to Mediterranean, European, and global markets. Neil MacFarlane argues, however, that the potential business opportunities in Georgia are far outweighed by the risks. In this paper he examines recent economic, social, and political trends and concludes that the country is both economically and politically unstable, and that the government is not prepared to address a daunting range of domestic and international difficulties.

2007

Turkey: Current and Future Political, Economic, and Security Trends
Aliye Pekin Çelik, Ph.D. and Leylac Naqvi, MALD
Kemal Atatürk's efforts to Westernize and modernize the new republic of Turkey after the First World War gave Turkey a unique political perspective that continues to influence that country's political policies. This paper seeks to address the current and future political, economic and security trends in one of the only democratic, peaceful and stable countries in an unstable region.
 

Nigeria:  Mapping Political, Economic and Business Scenarios in the Post-Obasanjo Era
Stephen Nairne
Nigeria is an important state and cannot be ignored. It has the largest population of any country in Africa, is home to more Muslims than any other state on the continent, and is one of the world's leading oil producers. This paper explores possible medium term political, economic and business scenarios based on Umaru Yar'Adua's assumption of the Nigerian presidency in April 2007, the progress of the 2003 plan to reinvigorate the economy, and the strengthening counter-insurgency movement within Nigeria.

2006

Colombia: Current and Future Political, Economic and Security Trends
Dr. Steve Randall         
Some analysts believe that Colombia is now at the point where it can move beyond thirty years of internal strife and realize its full potential, especially its economic potential. This paper delves into the ways in which the political and security environment has evolved in Colombia in order to understand and examine Colombia's current political, economic and security trends and predict possible trends five to ten years in the future.