Where have all the Liberals gone? Based on recent by-elections, it would appear they’ve migrated to the Greater Toronto Area. Unable to win in the Quebec by-elections of a few months ago, now struck down in northern Saskatchewan and almost defeated in the Liberal stronghold of Vancouver Quadra, only Toronto seems enamored of Canada’s “Natural Governing Party.” And despite its size, Toronto does not a majority party make.

Events of recent days in Ottawa have culminated, it seems, in a grand coalition complete with an official signing ceremony as if giving legitimacy to an event somewhat less than legitimate. From a constitutional perspective, the coalition formed between the Liberals and the NDP with the sworn support of the Bloc Quebecois, is in fact entirely legal and based on a precedent, of sorts. Of course, there’s been no vote yet to bring down the sitting government so it does have a slightly premature air to it, but as constitutional experts will assure us, it is valid within the traditions of Parliamentary democracy. And yet, something still stinks. It’s as if all the benedictions of all the constitutional law professors in Canada still can’t remove some overarching stain from this coalition. Why is that?

With a subtitle like, The New Betrayal of America and How to Resist It , a reader might expect such a book to be primarily polemical in its orientation. And in that regard, John Kekes does not disappoint in his latest offering

Is it possible to render the intricacies of Marxism, of phenomenology and of critical theory interesting, even intriguing? And could such a topic have anything to offer conservatives? If the person doing the expositing is Paul Piccone, then the answer to both questions is an unqualified “yes”.

The recent Democratic primary contests in the United States cast a somewhat ominous light on the notion of free trade. And while there is considerable evidence that threats to renegotiate the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) were more for electoral advantage than serious proposals, such rumblings can easily take on a life of their own, placing Canada’s trade relationship with the US in jeopardy.

Of all the world’s major religions, none is at the center of as much controversy today as Islam. Wherever it comes in contact with other religions, a political storm arises. From Paris to the Balkans, Chechnya to Xinjiang, Kashmir to the Sudan, and most notably, in the heart of the Middle East itself, Islam seems unable to make peace with its neighbours. Various explanations, excuses and accusations have been made in response to this phenomenon. None, however, seem as prescient or as penetrating as that presented by Efraim Karsh in his latest work, Islamic Imperialism: A History .

Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn’s life and works are a testimony to moral, political and literary courage. His short stories, novels, speeches and his own experiences convey, perhaps more than any other author, the drama, terror and heroism that manifested themselves throughout one of humanity’s most violent and decisive periods. By collecting excerpts from these works together in one volume, the editors have performed a valuable service for English readers seeking to understand the forces and ideas that gave birth to and continued to support totalitarianism long after its bankruptcy was realized.