Evening with Churchill, January 19th, 2006 featured speaker Professor David J. Bercuson who spoke on the topic One Christmas in Washington.
Iraq: Democracy versus Terrorism and its wider Impact by Martin Cronin, British Consul General (previously posted at the British Embassy in Baghdad.) –February 9,2006
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Mr. Martin Cronin, British Consul General, spoke on the topic: “Iraq: Democracy versus Terrorism and its Wider Impact“. Since joining the British Diplomatic Service in 1988, Mr. Cronin has served in Yeman, Jordan, Pakistan and Iraq. He was most recently First Secretary (Political), British Embassy Baghdad with responsibility for Iraq’s external relations, particularly Syria and Iran. Mr. Cronin will give us insight into the current situation in Iraq and provide background to the various religious and political forces that are emerging in Iraq and the surrounding area.
The Current Situation in Afghanistan by Admiral Ken Summers who had been in command of all Gulf War Canadian Forces. – April 25, 2006
- Rear Admiral (Ret’d) Ken Summers, spoke on the topic: “Canada’s Role in Afghanistan“. In November 2005, Rear Admiral Summers visited Afghanistan with General Hillier, Canada’s Chief of Defense Staff, to see the progress being made in Kabul and understand the magnitude and seriousness of the pending operations in Kandahar. Subsequent to this trip, Ken has been interviewed a number of times on the CBC National News discussing Canada’s military and civilian initiatives in Afghanistan. View Rear Admiral (Ret’d) Summers’ bio here.
Annual Banquet, May 26th, 2006 featured Professor David Jablonsky who spoke on Churchill, the Grand Strategist”.
September 14, 2006 featured Dr. Jim Boutilier, PhD who spoke on The Growth of Superpowers in Asia and the Implications for North America
- Asia is in the midst of far reaching economic and political change which is causing a fundamental shift in world power. China is rapidly ascending. Russia, facing a strong China, must decide whether its alliances are to be in the East or the West. India is emerging, and having staked its claim over the India Ocean, has a new relationship with America. As a result, the United States is slowly coming to terms with the new limits of its power.
Churchill, the consummate student of history and practitioner of grand strategy, would have been captivated by contemporary developments in Asia as The Great Game is being revisited. Indeed, there are some intriguing similarities between the world that Churchill knew in 1906 and our era 100 years later. Both periods witnessed profound changes in the world’s geo-strategic architecture.
This lecture explored the threats and opportunities associated with these fundamental Asian changes and the implications for Canada and the United States.
The Annual General Meeting in November, 2006. The Sir Winston Spencer Churchill Memorial Fund Scholarship, given to the First Prize winner of the Essay Contest, was presented to Mrs. Susan Gates, who was representing her daughter, Rebecca Gates. Rebecca’s paper was titled Their Finest Hour: Britain 1940, A Study in Metanarrative and History. The Second Prize winner was Tao-Yee Lau. Her paper was titled Regions and Refugees: Palestinian, North Indian, and Bengali Refugees in Comparative Perspective.
At the Annual General Meeting Mr. Gwynne Dyer, a respected freelance journalist, columnist, broadcaster and lecturer on international affairs, addressed the members on The Great Game: The United States’ Strategy to Preserve Its Status as Sole World Power.