Coordinator | Events
Walid Ferguen is a master's student in political science at the Université du Québec à Montréal (UQAM). His research focuses on strategic issues relating to the Mediterranean, in particular the conditions required for greater cohesion between the countries bordering the Mediterranean in the face of security and geopolitical challenges. In particular, he explores the impact of strategic culture on regional cooperation and the adaptation of strategies in the face of transnational threats. Walid is also interested in the dynamics of disinformation and foreign interference that influence regional stability, as well as defence and security issues in the Middle East and…
Practitioner
Renée Filiatrault has served three Ministers of National Defence for Canada. From 2009-2010 she served as a Foreign Service Officer in Afghanistan with Task Force Kandahar. Prior to this she was Head of Media and Public Affairs for the British High Commission in Ottawa. Renée is a regular commentator on defence and security matters with an emphasis on intervention and crisis management. She has appeared on CBC’s The National, Power & Politics, The Current, CTV’s The National, Question Period and Power Play. She has also contributed to Policy Options Magazine and been invited as a guest lecturer at McGill University…
Emerging Scholar
Gianmarco is a PhD student in the Department of Political Science at Laval University. His research is supervised by Professor Francesco Cavatorta and co-supervised by Professor Jonathan Paquin. He holds a Master's degree in International Relations with a specific focus on the Middle East and North Africa from the University of Turin, Italy. His research focuses on the international dimension in democratisation processes in the region, with a particular focus on the clash between authoritarian regimes as external agents. He is particularly interested in international relations (especially in the Middle East and North Africa), interstate rivalries, foreign policy analysis, and political…
Practitioner
Maxandre Fortier is a Foreign Service Officer at Global Affairs Canada, where he serves as Senior Policy Advisor for the OSCE, NATO, and arms control. He was part of the 2025–2026 cohort of the Canada-Asia Young Professionals Program run by the Canada Asia Pacific Foundation, and is a member of RUSI NextGen, the Royal United Services Institute’s network of young professionals in defense, security, and international affairs. He completed his master’s degree in international relations at the Université du Québec à Montréal (UQAM) under the supervision of Justin Massie. His research, funded by SSHRC and the FRQSC, focused on…
Researcher
Michel Fortmann (Ph.D., Montréal) is professor emeritus of political science at Montreal University. He was director and founder of the Centre d’études sur paix et la sécurité internationale (CEPSI). His research focuses on weapons control, nuclear strategy, war history, foreign affairs. He is the author, with Albert Legault, of Une diplomatie de l’espoir, le Canada et le désarmement de 1945 à 1988 (Presses de l’Université Laval, 1990), and the English version (McGill-Queen’s University Press, 1992) was nominated for the Gelber Prize. He is co-director of Balance of Power, Theory and Practice in the 21st Century (University Press, 2004) and Le…
Researcher
Philippe M. Frowd is an associate professor at the School of Political Studies at the University of Ottawa. His research focuses on borders and migration, critical security studies, and African politics. He is the author of *Security at the Borders: Transnational Practices and Technologies in West Africa* (published in 2018 by Cambridge University Press) and is currently working on two parallel projects. The first project examines the automation and digitization of border security in Canada through e-visas, mobile apps, and airport kiosks. The second focuses on international intervention in the Sahel and the role of the G5 Sahel in the…
Co-director
Frédérick Gagnon is the Chairholder of the Raoul-Dandurand Chair, Director of the Observatory of the United States and Director of the Observatory of multidimensional conflicts. He is Professor of political science at University of Québec in Montréal. He received a Fullbright scholarship in 2014-2015. He has published, alone or in collaboration, books on american foreign policy (Théories de la politique étrangère américaine, with Charles-Philippe David, dir., Presses de l’Université de Montréal, 2012 et 2018), the US Congress (Les sénateurs qui changent le monde, Presses de l’Université Laval, 2013; Le Congrès des États-Unis, dir., Presses de l’Université du Québec, 2006), the…
Practitioner
Having accumulated more than 35 years of varied experience with the Canadian Army (career in the infantry with the Royal 22e Régiment), BGen (ret'd) Richard Giguère has worked in operational environments in Canada and abroad (Germany, Oka Crisis, Haiti, Kabul, Kandahar), diplomacy (military attaché in Washington) and academics. He commanded the Second Battalion of the Royal 22e Régiment and the Citadelle de Québec, the Land Force Quebec Sector (now the 2nd Canadian Division) and Joint Task Force (East), and the Canadian Forces College in Toronto, whose mission is to prepare senior military and civilian leaders (Canadian and foreign) to tackle…
