2025, Vol.31, No.1

Asia-Pacific Journal of Canadian Studies 2024 KCI Impact Factor : 0.05

pISSN : 2951-0619 / eISSN : 2951-3952
https://journal.kci.go.kr/apjcs

Forced migration often occurs due to violent conflict, political instability, and social injustice. This paper examines internal displacement and forced emigration from Afghanistan, where historical conflicts, ethnic divisions, and power shifts have weakened the central government and its security apparatus, leading to persistent instability. The Soviet invasion of Afghanistan in 1979 was a significant turning point that caused many citizens to flee to neighbouring Pakistan and Iran. The withdrawal of Soviet forces in 1989 resulted into takeover of a large part of the country by mujahideen which led to internal fights and ultimate capture of the country by Taliban in 1996. In 2001, the United States and allied countries invaded Afghanistan and removed the Taliban government. In 2021, the US forces left the country, and the Taliban took over again. Since then, 1.6 million Afghans have been forced to flee to other countries, and 3.2 million have been displaced within their own country (UNHCR, 2023a). This paper addresses underlying grievances and promotes reconciliation between the Taliban regime and rival factions as a viable path to peacebuilding and diminished displacement. The international community can play a pivotal role in shaping a more sustainable future of Afghanistan by fostering peace and stability through inclusive governance structures and concerted diplomatic efforts.

This paper examines the strategic convergence between South Korea and Canada in the Indo-Pacific, proposing a multidimensional framework for institutionalizing bilateral security cooperation between two geographically distant middle powers. It hypothesizes that functionally driven cooperation can be institutionalized in the absence of formal alliances or geographic proximity, when grounded in norm entrepreneurship, strategic complementarity, and shared middle-power identity. Guided by a synthesized realist–constructivist framework, the study draws on process tracing and discourse analysis of official documents from 2022 to 2024. It identifies four pillars of convergence: maritime security and Indo-Pacific strategy alignment; multilateral interoperability; cooperation in emerging domains such as cyber, space, and cognitive security; and defense industrial collaboration, including submarine and MRO programs. The findings support the hypothesis, showing how the two countries leverage institutional creativity and normative alignment to develop scalable, forward-looking cooperation. The article concludes by addressing risks such as geopolitical backlash, legal-institutional barriers, and domestic volatility, and offers phased implementation strategies. It argues that Korea–Canada security cooperation offers a replicable model for norm-driven middle-power alignment in a shifting Indo-Pacific order.

Canada’s federal elections in April 2025 marked a decisive moment in the country’s political landscape—not only due to the continuation of the Liberal Party’s hold on power under the leadership of Mark Carney, but also because of the adverse geopolitical context created by growing political and economic tensions with the United States. Tariff threats and rhetorical provocations by U.S. President Donald Trump played a significant role in the electoral outcome, swaying key sectors of the electorate toward a more explicit defense of Canadian sovereignty. This article analyzes the election results, party dynamics, campaign narratives, and the implications for Canada-U.S. bilateral relations.