Canada

Canada: The Drug Trade’s Northern Frontier

This analysis was prepared by COHA Research Associate Tristan Mohabir
July 14, 2011
Canada: The Drug Trade’s Northern Frontier

With public attention focused on narco-trafficking across the U.S.-Mexico border, relatively little attention has been given to the illicit activities transpiring along the United States’ border with its larger and less infamous North American neighbor, Canada.  The U.S.-Canada border is immense and quite rugged geographically, which makes it problematic to patrol.  Smuggling drugs southward past law enforcement officials is not exceedingly difficult, and as a consequence, large quantities of Canadian marijuana and, more recently,...

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The Race for Arctic Sovereignty: Part I

This analysis was prepared by COHA Research Fellow Shantel Beach
March 15, 2011

Only a few short weeks ago, a U.S. presidential panel appointed by President Barack Obama proposed that the U.S. ought to play a leading role among Arctic nations to establish international standards regarding various Arctic-related initiatives. Meanwhile, Canada’s National Energy Board is gearing up to undertake a comprehensive review of the existing safety and environmental regulations relating to offshore drilling in the Arctic’s Beaufort Sea. As both countries direct their attention north, it seems...

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Gold Digging in Colombia: Mining Throughout Latin America

This analysis was prepared by COHA Research Associates Zoë Amerigian and Lindsey Pace
February 11, 2011

• Mining is an important source of foreign investment and development • Rural populations are among the prime losers in mining operations • Environmental protection is no match for multinational greed • Governments are selling out their citizens In the sixteenth century, the Spanish conquistadors were drawn to the Americas by a quest for riches; in their pursuit they were soon exploiting the land of its resources. Today, remarkably little has changed. Like the...

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Negotiating A New NAFTA: What and Why This Is Needed

This analysis was prepared by COHA Research Associate Preston Whitt
September 13, 2010

•Agricultural performance has been particularly disappointing At the end of 1992, the leaders of Canada, the United States, and Mexico signed the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). Once ratified, it took effect on January 1, 1994. Though its White House proponents hailed NAFTA as a transcendent step towards mutual advancement for the three partner countries, there was significant opposition in each NAFTA nation. As the years since NAFTA’s implementation have passed, many significant...

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The Polarizing North Pole

This analysis was prepared by COHA Research Associate Aaron Gluck
March 26, 2010

Throughout human history, the Arctic has had little trouble retaining its reputation for austere beauty. However as the irreversible effects of global climate change continue to negatively impact ecosystems worldwide, the once ice blanketed region is rapidly melting away. This climatic shift has caused unexpected political tension between several northern nations. At the same time, according to the United States Geological Survey (USGS) as much as 90 billion barrels of oil and 1,670 trillion...

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