Thomas Walkom
The Standard
Canada
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Recent articles by Thomas:
Ontario is in for a strange election campaign
For those immersed in the politics of Queen’s Park, all of this may make sense. For the rest of us, it does not. → Read More
At last, there’s clarity on why we’re aiding Ukraine: We want to weaken Russia permanently
The real question is how to stop the fighting when no one has an incentive to seek peace. Russia started this war. NATO has kept it going. → Read More
Should Russia be kicked off international bodies like the G20? Canada says yes
Punishing Russia by kicking it out of the club could backfire — and, by limiting co-operation, end up making matters worse. → Read More
The new cold war involves more than Ukraine and Europe — it threatens to encompass the entire world
The only thing that kept NATO from declaring all-out war is the fact Moscow has nukes. North Korea has noticed, resuming its missile testing program. → Read More
Will Vladimir Putin be allowed to lose gracefully? The West wants to end the war, but also wants to humiliate the Russian leader
In some ways, it is better for the West if the peace negations fail and the war goes on, in order to completely isolate Putin’s Russia. → Read More
The new Liberal-NDP accord is something to talk about, but it’s fundamentally meaningless
The arrangement is vague and unenforceable, and the proposed denticare plan suffers from a fatal flaw: it is not universal. → Read More
Canadians should imagine what it would be like if we were involved in a nuclear war
This is the real choice Zelenskyy is offering Canada and other supporters of Ukraine: Doing too little, and doing so much we risk all-out nuclear war. → Read More
The war in Ukraine is not new — it is a return to the Cold War
The current standoff between Russia and the West revisits that period, not so long ago, when the West faced off against the Soviet bloc. → Read More
As we stockpile weapons for Ukraine, we should remember Canada and its NATO allies are not at war
The West is trying to give the Russia-Ukraine conflict greater significance by defining it in apocalyptic terms as a battle between good and evil. → Read More
Do convoy protests put Canada’s national security at risk?
If Canada is to present itself as a power along the U.S. border, it will have to demonstrate to Washington its ability to exercise control. → Read More
John Honderich was an old-fashioned newspaper boss. He will be missed
John was a deceptively complicated guy. Unfailingly optimistic, he was no “Citizen Kane.” But at times, he came close. → Read More
The experiment has failed. Unifying the right under one national Conservative party isn’t working
There are still two parties warring within the Conservative movement. One of them is modern and moderate; the other is reactionary and extreme. → Read More
The great irony of Russia’s faceoff against Ukraine is that it has made NATO relevant again
After the Berlin Wall came down, NATO floundered. Who was it defending against? With Ukraine, Vladimir Putin has brought some clarity to this issue. → Read More
Canada, usually the voice of moderation, is playing the cowboy on Ukraine crisis
Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly is striking an unusually hawkish tone in her comments about the standoff. Is this the best path for Canada? → Read More
Information is dour, as governments move to limit the release of pandemic data they consider overly pessimistic
Information is now treated strategically, as a weapon in the war against the pandemic. Accuracy alone is not enough if it contradicts messaging. → Read More
The economy is doing well, thanks in part to the pandemic
Employers discovered to their horror that their low-wage workers now had the option not to work at all. The practical effect was a rise in wages. → Read More
Canada is being drawn into a new cold war that it doesn’t need or want
Unlike the original Cold War, allegedly fought over Communism, this one makes no pretence of ideology. Today, it is all just big power politics. → Read More
Keep calm and continue the fight against Omicron
If we can collectively do what is necessary, we should be able to deal with the latest variant of this terrible disease. → Read More
Smaller farms could help animals survive climate emergencies
Most chickens and hogs are kept caged, mainly because it is cheaper. But during heat waves or floods, these cages become death traps. → Read More
Ottawa should respond to American protectionism with its own ‘Buy Canadian’ policy
What’s the use of a binding trade agreement if one participant is free to ignore it? Perhaps the answer is to borrow from America’s playbook. → Read More