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Issues & Experts Archive > Conservatives, global safety, Latin America — Issues and Experts
Conservatives, global safety, Latin America — Issues and Experts
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January 21, 2004
Leading the new Conservatives…Belinda Stronach may give the media something to talk about, but she shouldn’t be considered a serious obstacle to Stephen Harper’s leadership of a united — yet still broadly unpopular — Canadian right, says SFU political scientist David Laycock. He studies right wing parties and wrote The New Right and Democracy in Canada: Understanding Reform and the Canadian Alliance, in 2002. Laycock says Stronach, who is in Vancouver this week, is not a solution to the woes still surrounding the new party’s image.
Rise in fear over global safety…People around the world are markedly fearful about the state of global security and hold out little hope for a safer future world, according to a new survey by Gallup International. Nearly 43,000 interviews were conducted in 51 countries, including Canada. The results paint a global picture of gloom. SFU historian Andre Gerolymatos, who specializes in security issues, can look at the factors behind our rising fears. Donald Grayston, an instructor in SFU’s institute for the humanities, can assess how people cope amid fears of terrorism, and the role of spirituality. The survey was commissioned by the World Economic Forum, a gathering of top business, political and religious leaders, which is meeting in Switzerland this week.
Americas summit falls short…The Summit of the Americas, a meeting of hemispheric leaders, took place last week in Mexico. Although there was great anticipation for the meeting, not much was accomplished, says SFU political scientist Anil Hira, who specializes in Latin American politics and can look at where such issues as free trade go from here. "The Free Trade Agreement of the Americas is stalled amidst opposition by a new wave of independent-minded Latin American governments," he says, noting that U.S. President George W. Bush's introduction of a new immigration proposal "is mostly election grand-standing."
- David Laycock, 604.291.3089; laycock@sfu.ca
Rise in fear over global safety…People around the world are markedly fearful about the state of global security and hold out little hope for a safer future world, according to a new survey by Gallup International. Nearly 43,000 interviews were conducted in 51 countries, including Canada. The results paint a global picture of gloom. SFU historian Andre Gerolymatos, who specializes in security issues, can look at the factors behind our rising fears. Donald Grayston, an instructor in SFU’s institute for the humanities, can assess how people cope amid fears of terrorism, and the role of spirituality. The survey was commissioned by the World Economic Forum, a gathering of top business, political and religious leaders, which is meeting in Switzerland this week.
- Andre Gerolymatos, 604.291.5597; andre_gerolymatos@sfu.caDonald Grayston, 604.291.5516; grayston@sfu.ca
Americas summit falls short…The Summit of the Americas, a meeting of hemispheric leaders, took place last week in Mexico. Although there was great anticipation for the meeting, not much was accomplished, says SFU political scientist Anil Hira, who specializes in Latin American politics and can look at where such issues as free trade go from here. "The Free Trade Agreement of the Americas is stalled amidst opposition by a new wave of independent-minded Latin American governments," he says, noting that U.S. President George W. Bush's introduction of a new immigration proposal "is mostly election grand-standing."
- Anil Hira, 604.291.3286; ahira@sfu.ca