Threatscape - Mapping global risks in a changing world

What is war rhetoric? What is the effect of war rhetoric on democracy? And how can a closer examination of war rhetoric guide us towards a more peaceful future? In this episode, we spoke about war rhetoric and its effect on democracy with Professor Emeritus in English & American Studies, Robert L. Ivie (Indiana University), who has published countless academic articles and books on the topic. 

Ahead of the Montreal International Security Summit, MIGS hosted a Twitter/X Spaces discussion with French journalist Nicolas Quénel titled “Operations Doppelgänger ou les ressorts de la propagande russe” .  Please note that this interview is in French. -- En amont du Sommet de Montréal sur la sécurité internationale, le MIGS a organisé une discussion sur Twitter/X Spaces avec le journaliste franç...

As part of our series for the Digital Peace Project, this episode is a recording of a conversation with Guylaine Maroist, a Montréal-based filmmaker and producer who has tackled online hate speech and cyberviolence in her most recent documentary film project, "Backlash: Misogyny in the Digital Age". Guylaine joins the MIGS team to discuss her film and her new initiative: https://stopcyberviolences...

When Russia launched an unprovoked and illegal invasion of Ukraine on 24 February 2022, Christopher Miller, the Ukraine correspondent for the Financial Times, was on the ground when the first missiles struck. Christopher's book  "The War Came to Us"  chronicles Ukraine’s past, present, and future as well as its fight for freedom and independence. MIGS hosted Chris Miller on X (Twitter) Spaces to d...

Cette session vise à comprendre les différentes formes violence auxquelles les communautés 2SLGBTQI font face et à discuter de solutions concrètes pour rendre les environnements en ligne plus équitables et plus sécuritaires pour ses membres. Intervenants: Mylène de Repentigny-Corbeil, Les 3 Sex*; Alexandre Chartrand, Département communication, Université Concordia; Moe Hamandi, Présidence de Fiert...

This episode is a recording of a roundtable event organized as part of the Digital Peace Project Series. In this session, we discussed a few unique trends in online hate targeting religious communities, including the impact of conspiracy theories. Featuring: Wendy Via (Project Against Hate and Extremism),  Emmanuelle Amar (CIJA), Jennifer Tridgell (University of Essex), and Akaash Maharaj (Global...

This episode is a recording of a roundtable event organized as part of the Digital Peace Project Series and aims to unpack Featuring: Catherine Martin (Millbrook Mi’kmaq First Nation Community), Dr. Suzanne Kite (Oglala Lakota) Bailey Oster, (Red River Settlement and St. Paul des Métis). Megan Tipler (Métis educator)

MIGS hosted  a Twitter Space discussion with Professor Kimberly Marten (Barnard College, Columbia University) on the recent failed mutiny of the Wagner Group in Russia. This is a recording of the discussion, which is part of MIGS' Ukraine Initiative supported by the Konrad Adenauer Stiftung Canada.

MIGS hosted a Twitter Spaces discussion on  Germany’s New Security Strategy and the War in Ukraine with Benjamin Tallis (German Council on Foreign Relations) and Ulrike Franke (European Council on Foreign Relations). This is a recording of the discussion, which is part of MIGS' Ukraine Initiative supported by the Konrad Adenauer Stiftung Canada.

Description: This episode is a recording of a roundtable event organized as part of the Digital Peace Project Series and aims to unpack violence against women online & discuss tangible solutions to making online environments more equitable. Feat.  Lucina Di Meco ( #ShePersisted ) Annabel Ashalley-Anthony (Melanin Gamers) Supriya Dwivedi (Centre for Media, Technology & Democracy), Bridget T...

This episode is a recording of a roundtable discussion as part of the Digital Peace Project series to mark the International Day for Countering Hate Speech. Fernand de Varennes (UN Special Rapporteur on Minority Issues), Naomi Kikoler (Director of the Simon-Skjodt Center for the Prevention of Genocide at the US Holocaust Memorial Museum), Ronan Lee (Loughborough University London), and Alice Wairi...

Description: This episode is a recording of an event hosted by RIWI to discuss the results of the public perception survey MIGS conducted with RIWI’s support as part of the Digital Peace Project. Sam Wollenberg (RIWI) and Lauren Salim (MIGS) discuss the results of the survey, where Canadians 16+ were asked about their definition of hate speech and preferences for content moderation.

How is the war in Ukraine changing to way we do Open Sources Intelligence (OSINT)? What are the ethical implications of OSINT? And what happens when AI erases evidence uncovered by OSINT, particularly on social media? MIGS hosted a Twitter Spaces conversation with Alexa Koenig (Co-Executive Director and Co-Faculty Director of the Human Rights Center, UC Berkeley) and Belkis Wille (Associate Direct...

In this episode, we delve into the 67th Commission on the Status of Women (CSW67), where global representatives, entities, and ECOSOC-accredited NGOs converged in New York City. In this insightful conversation, Aimee Tymkin, a Canadian delegate and esteemed student-researcher based in Manitoba, talk to us about experience at CSW67. She sheds light on the pivotal topics of innovation, technological...

In April, Russia assumed the presidency of the UN Security Council, a body dedicated to peace and security, just as the Russian Federation is waging a war of aggression against Ukraine. In such circumstances, many people, including Permanent Representative of Ukraine to the U.N. Sergiy Kyslytsya, are questioning Russia’s status of permanent member. Ukraine has also called for Russia’s removal from...

On February 23rd, 2022, reporter Tim Mak arrive in Kyiv to cover a possible war. The Russian invasion of Ukraine began that same night. After leaving NPR, Tim continued to report from Ukraine, providing regular updates about the war, uncovering war crimes but also writing about the daily lives of Ukrainians.  Our conversation with Tim took place on Twitter Spaces. Subscribe to Tim's Substack here...

Since the beginning of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Russian forces have reportedly abducted thousands of Ukrainian children and attempted to deprive them of their Ukrainian identity. A report published in February 2023 by the Humanitarian Research Lab at  Yale School of Public Health concluded that Russia’s federal government has systematically reallocated at least 6,000 children from Ukraine to...

On April 1st, the Russian Federation assumed the rotating presidency the United Nations Security Council. This came on the heels of the International Criminal Courts’ decision to issue an arrest warrant against President Vladimir Putin over alleged war crimes committed by Russian troops in Ukraine. Described as “an April Fool’s joke” by Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba, the situation was c...

In this episode, a Russian Montrealer explains why he decided to help Ukrainians in the war against his home country. In the meantime, his family in Moscow thinks he is brainwashed by Western media and refuses to believe that they may have been duped by Russia’s disinformation campaign.   Episode 3 of a 3-part series produced in collaboration with Concordia’s Department of Journalism.  Speaker: Dm...

In this episode, a Ukrainian college student shares her story of fleeing the city of Mariupol as Russian forces closed in. We reflect on the destruction of Mariupol and examine how disinformation has warped reality in the ensuing information war being waged by Russia. Episode 2 of a 3-part series produced in collaboration with Concordia’s Department of Journalism.    Speakers: Alexandra Postoieva,...

In this episode, we follow the tumultuous journey of a Ukrainian family who fled from the frontline city of Kharkiv to start a new life in Canada. After enduring bombings and terror amid the Russian invasion, we hear how one family was greeted with overwhelming support in Canada that made their 7,500-kilometre journey worthwhile.   Episode 1 of a 3-part series produced in collaboration with Concor...

Dans cette discussion, Marianne Couture-Cossette et Marie Lamensch parlons de cyberviolences à caractère sexuel et basées sur le genre et de la manosphère, ainsi que de la mission de Les 3 Sex*. Marianne est vice-présidence et direction du volet sensibilisation chez Les 3 Sex*.     Cet épisode fait partie de notre projet sur la Paix Numérique soutenu par Patrimoin Canada. L'initiative a pour but d...

The Lachin corridor, the lifeline road connecting Nagorno-Karabakh with Armenia, has been blocked by Azerbaijiani protesters since December 12. With supplies of food and medicine in the blockaded region running low, 120,000 Armenian residents find themselves in a precarious situation, leading UNICEF to issue a statement warning about the deteriorating humanitarian situation.   The blockade also ri...

"Queering the Web": Examining Online Harms and Hate Speech Directed at 2SLGBTQIA+ Communities with Dr. Stefanie Duguay This episode features a conversation with Dr. Stefanie Duguay, assistant professor in Communication Studies and the Concordia University Research Chair in Digital intimacy, gender, andsexuality. How do queer people express identity in digital spaces? What are the challenges that t...

On the first anniversary of the war in Ukraine, join the Montreal Institute for Genocide and Human Rights Studies at Concordia University for a Twitter Spaces conversation on the resilience of Ukraine's civil society. Speakers:  - Oleksandra Povoroznyk, Kyiv-based translator and journalist  - Alina Bondarenko, communications professional in Washington DC and arising expert in Ukrainian cultural di...