International Issues Discussion Series

International Issues Discussion Series Since then the IID has hosted numerous discussions on major current events with top experts from various different perspectives. See Less

The International Issues Discussion (IID) series is a student-led forum designed to engage all members of the university community on major events and issues in contemporary global affairs through reasoned, objective, and scholarly discourse. It is a strictly non-partisan, unaffiliated, and apolitical group that welcomes all students to get involved and further their understanding of the world today. The IID was founded in 2005 by two Ryerson students and two faculty members, Dr. Dale Carl (Business) and Dr. Arne Kislenko (History) who is the current faculty advisor. Some of our past talks include presentations on United States foreign policy, terrorism, the Middle East, the rise of modern China, Russia under Putin, UN peacekeeping in Sudan, global warming and climate change, water management and conservation, the 2008 U.S. presidential election, and the international politics of oil. We are currently devising a programme of events for the coming academic year, but welcome any and all suggestions, recommended speakers, and other ideas. For the 2020-2021 academic term, the IID will be hosted by Matthew Brown, Vamika Jain, and Yonatan Lavrukov, students representing the History, Philosophy, and International Relations programmes within the Ryerson and University of Toronto communities, and supervised by Dr. Arne Kislenko. For more information about the IID and how to get involved, please contact the student leaders at [email protected] or Dr. Kislenko at [email protected].

Dear Friends,The International Issues Discussion (IID) series at Toronto Metropolitan University is pleased to present i...
04/01/2026

Dear Friends,

The International Issues Discussion (IID) series at Toronto Metropolitan University is pleased to present its fifth and final talk of the Winter 2026 series in partnership with the Canadian International Council (CIC), "Canada in a Fragmenting World: Navigating Geopolitics, Alliances, and Emerging Security Challenges."

Our guests will be:

Dr. Patrice Dutil, an author, commentator and former podcaster who specializes in political and administrative history. By day he teaches in the Department of Politics and Public Administration at TMU. His most recent books are The Enduring Riddle of Mackenzie King and Statecraft and Canadian Prime Ministers and Their Cabinets (with Stephen Azzi).

Dr. Sanjay Ruparelia Ruperalia, Professor of Politics and Public Administration at TMU, where he holds the Jarislowsky Democracy Chair, and a Senior Fellow of the Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada. He co-hosts On the Frontlines of Democracy, a monthly podcast and lecture series, and regularly contributes to media in North America and Asia. His books include Divided We Govern: coalition politics in modern India; The Indian Ideology, and Understanding India’s New Political Economy.

and

Grace van Vliet, Ph.D. Candidate in History at the University of Toronto. She holds a Master's in European, Russian, and Eurasian Affairs from the Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy, and a BA in History from TMU. Her research explores networks of international terrorism and their state sponsors, as well as the history of counterterrorism. She has written about the links between the Cold War Communist Bloc and Third World liberation movements, post-Cold War state building, and the origins of Canadian counterterrorism and security culture.

Their talk will be held in-person on Wednesday, April 8th between 6:30 and 8:30 pm in ENG 103 (the Vari Engineering Building, 245 Church Street, Toronto). Attendance is free and everyone is welcome.

Founded in 2005, the IID is a non-partisan, student-led forum designed to engage all members of the TMU community on major events and issues in contemporary global affairs through reasoned, objective, and scholarly discourse. For further details about the IID and our series, please see http://iid.kislenko.com or contact student leaders at [email protected]

The CIC’s mission is to provide a platform for all Canadians to engage in global affairs. Since 1928, as a non-partisan, charitable organization, the CIC has provided a platform for citizens to help shape Canada’s place in the world. Home - Canadian International Council

Dear Friends,The International Issues Discussion (IID) series at Toronto Metropolitan University will present its fourth...
03/02/2026

Dear Friends,

The International Issues Discussion (IID) series at Toronto Metropolitan University will present its fourth talk of the Winter 2026 series, “Beyond Formal Equality: Feminism, Gender Violence, and the Institutional Responsibilities of Democratic Societies."

Our guest will be Claudia Aguilar Barroso: currently Legal Advisor at FGA Ventures Inc. (Vancouver). In Mexico, she founded Aguilar Barroso Abogados, a firm specializing in constitutional litigation, regulatory law, and human rights. She is Professor of Constitutional Procedural Law and holds postgraduate studies in Human Rights, Constitutional Procedural Law, and Gender Studies. Her academic and professional work focuses on judicial independence, democratic institutions, substantive equality, and the structural dimensions of gender-based violence within legal systems. She regularly lectures and writes on constitutional reform, the rule of law, and gender justice in comparative perspective.

Her talk will be held in-person on Wednesday, March 11th between 6:30 and 8:30 pm in ENG 103 (the Vari Engineering Building, 245 Church Street, Toronto). Attendance is free and everyone is welcome.

Founded in 2005, the IID is a non-partisan, student-led forum designed to engage all members of the TMU community on major events and issues in contemporary global affairs through reasoned, objective, and scholarly discourse. For further details about the IID and our series please see http://iid.kislenko.com or contact the IID student leaders at [email protected]

Dear Friends,The International Issues Discussion (IID) series at Toronto Metropolitan University is proud to present its...
02/16/2026

Dear Friends,

The International Issues Discussion (IID) series at Toronto Metropolitan University is proud to present its third talk of the Winter 2026 series, “Taiwan as a Gateway to Exploring the Sinosphere".

Our guest will be Julia G. Bentley, a former Canadian diplomat whose work focuses on Asia, where she lived for over 20 years. She served as a diplomat in China, Taiwan, India, and Malaysia, where she was High Commissioner. She is now affiliated with three universities and the Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada. In spring 2025 she undertook field research on Taiwan as a gateway for exploring the Sinosphere, cross-Strait relations, and regional issues in Asia. Her report on this research can be found here: https://lnkd.in/excZkx5i

Her talk will be held in-person on Wednesday, February 25th between 6:30 and 8:30 pm in ENG 103 (the Vari Engineering Building, 245 Church Street, Toronto). Attendance is free and everyone is welcome.

Founded in 2005, the IID is a non-partisan, student-led forum designed to engage all members of the TMU community on major events and issues in contemporary global affairs through reasoned, objective, and scholarly discourse. For further details about the IID and our series please see http://iid.kislenko.com or contact the IID student leaders at [email protected]

Dear Friends,The International Issues Discussion (IID) series at Toronto Metropolitan University is proud to present its...
01/29/2026

Dear Friends,

The International Issues Discussion (IID) series at Toronto Metropolitan University is proud to present its second talk of the Winter 2026 series, “What is a World Order?".

Our guest will be Dr. Margaret MacMillan, emeritus Professor of History at the University of Toronto and emeritus Professor of International History and the former Warden of St. Antony's College at the University of Oxford. Her award winning books include Paris 1919: Six Months that Changed the World (2001, 2002); Nixon in China: Six Days that Changed the World (2006, 2007); and The War that Ended Peace (2014). Her most recent book is War: How Conflict Shaped Us (2020). She gave the CBC’s Massey lectures in 2015 and the BBC’s Reith lectures in 2018. She has been awarded numerous honorary degrees, including from Ryerson University, and is a fellow or honorary fellow of many institutions including the Royal Society of Canada, the British Academy, Trinity College at the University of Toronto, and Lady Margaret Hall, St. Hilda's College, and St. Anthony's College, at the University of Oxford. She is a Trustee of the Imperial War Museum, the Carnegie Corporation of New York, and the Institute of Human Sciences (Vienna). She contributes to and comments frequently on the media both in Canada and abroad.

Her talk will be held in-person on Wednesday, February 4th between 6:30 and 8:30 pm in ENG 103 (the Vari Engineering Building, 245 Church Street, Toronto). Attendance is free and everyone is welcome.

Founded in 2005, the IID is a non-partisan, student-led forum designed to engage all members of the TMU community on major events and issues in contemporary global affairs through reasoned, objective, and scholarly discourse. For further details about the IID and our series please see http://iid.kislenko.com or contact the IID student leaders at [email protected]

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