2009 Trudeau Scholar

simon.collard-wexler@trudeaufoundation.net

Current Research

Profile

Countries such as Canada have increasingly been called to intervene militarily abroad to protect human rights, combat terrorism, end civil wars, rebuild failed states, and promote democracy. In some circumstances these efforts have yielded moderate successes whereas in others, such as Somalia and Afghanistan, they have generated fierce resistance and insurgency. More than a mere byproduct of war, resistance can have a decisive impact on the outcome of these missions.

Simon's doctoral research explores resistance to foreign military intervention, be it peacekeeping, peace building, occupation, transitional administration, or annexation. In essence, under what conditions do foreign military interventions produce consequential resistance? Despite the high stakes and staggering human and economic costs involved, understanding of resistance to foreign military intervention remains weak. Data accumulated over the course of the last 100 years on resistance against foreign military intervention combined with recent methodological advances are providing exciting opportunities to better analyze and understand the phenomenon.

Simon has spent much of the past seven years working on international security and conflict resolution. He served in the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade as a strategic policy advisor on Afghanistan, a policy advisor on continental defence, and a senior researcher on non-proliferation, arms control, and disarmament. Internationally, he has worked at the Center for Non-proliferation Studies in Monterey, California, the International Policy Institute at King's College London, and the International Atomic Energy Agency in Vienna. At Columbia University, he has conducted research on civil war termination with the Institute for Social and Economic Research and Policy, and has undertaken fieldwork in the South Kivu region of the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Ever committed to bringing research to bear on pressing policy issues, Simon's expects his findings to inform critical debates on counterinsurgency, peacekeeping, humanitarian intervention, and the responsibility to protect.

Trudeau Foundation Themes

Human Rights and Social Justice »
Canada and the World »