Akaash Maharaj

Canada’s military in talks to defend Gulf states, Israel launches new strikes into Lebanon As Iran continued to exchange airstrikes with Israel and U.S. bases on Thursday, Canada’s top military commander said its Armed Forces are in talks to possibly help defend Persian Gulf states against ...

The Iranian régime can not possibly defeat the American military. Instead, it will try to prolong the war, and wear down American social and political will.

The longer the war, the greater the cost in US blood and treasure

I spoke with @ctvyourmorning.bsky.social.

📺 ctvnews.ca/world/mideas...

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The Accords were imperfect, but their collapse ushered in unutterable horrors.

I was glad to sit down with her at the Norwegian Embassy in Ottawa, to discuss the Arctic, peace, and pluralism.

🇨🇦🇳🇴 norway.no/en/canada

Hanne Ulrichsen and Akaash Maharaj at the Norwegian Embassy in Canada

I first met Ambassador Hanne Ulrichsen twenty years ago in Jordan, in the aftermath of the Oslo Accords.

The carnage in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict since then has only reinforced my conviction that, when peace eventually does come, it will follow the path developed by @norwaymfa.government.no.

'The negotiating situation over nuclear weapons has been fraught with dishonesty': Maharaj YouTube video by BNN Bloomberg

The tragedy of the Trump-Netanyahu bombing of Iran is that at best, it will sow chaos across the Middle East, and at worst, it may strengthen the tyranny of the Ayatollahs.

I spoke with BNN Bloomberg about why Trump went to war, and what happens after the bombs fall silent.

📺 youtu.be/o6pDJzwpOII

I have not been following the Longines Global Champions Tour, but imagine that it must be in a state of disarray, given the ongoing bombings and counter-bombings in the Middle East.

Smith and Pollievre might both feel that being marooned with one another would count as cruel and unusual punishment.

Cover of our factum to the Alberta Court of Appeal. The full document is at https://via.maharaj.org/iaf

Alberta Premier Danielle Smith argues that the federal government has no constitutional right to oversee major industrial projects, even if they could cause catastrophic interprovincial damage.

@NatureCanada.bsky.social and I disagree. We made our case to the Appeals Court.

⚖️ via.maharaj.org/iaf

Do U.S.-destined arms exports require better scrutiny? Advocates say better oversight of U.S.-bound military exports is needed as Canadians increasingly query how the U.S. uses its arms

I spoke with Alexandra Keerler at @cdnaffairs.bsky.social, about whether Canada’s federal government has been wilfully blind about the purchasers of Canadian weapons, and whether we need better laws to regulate Canadian arms dealers.

📰 via.maharaj.org/ca-arms

Excerpt from an article in Canadian Affairs magazine, on Canadian arms sales, written by Alexandra Keeler, and quoting Akaash Maharaj

Canadian weapons are meant to be subject to strict export controls, to prevent them being sold to terrorists and war criminals.

Yet, Canadian armoured vehicles and rifles are appearing on the killing fields of Sudan and Yemen, and Canadian components are spilling out of Iranian and Russian drones.

Trevi Fountain

Equestrian statue of Marcus Aurelius

Remains of a statue from the pediment of a classical Roman building

At the Vittoriano, Italy's Altar of the Fatherland

I believe we succeeded in strengthening the foundation for implementation of the Convention.

I spent my last day in Rome wandering through the remnants of its ancient glories, a cheerful barbarian passing through its crumbling gates.

A vista of the Roman Forum, the heart of the ancient city

Our negotiations at the UN Convention on Biological Diversity have ended.

Many of the diplomatic skirmishes were clashes of low cunning rather than of high ideals.

However, I was uniformly impressed by the diligence of my colleagues on Canada’s State Delegation.

Vatican courtyard

Cardinal Koovakad and I discussed:

❦ @naturecanada.bsky.social’s work implementing the UN Biodiversity Convention;

❦ Canadian Interfaith Conversation’s covenant on standing together against hate;

❦ Peacebuilding and humanitarian relief in Gaza.

I look forward to our continued collaborations.

L to R: George Koovakad (Cardinal, Dicastery for Interreligious Dialogue), Akaash Maharaj (Nature Canada, Canadian Interfaith Conversation)

Interacting with the Vatican leadership is quite an experience.

It wields a unique power to shape international affairs, by influencing both governments and societies.

I had a fascinating working meeting with Cardinal George Koovakad, Prefect of the Dicastery for Interreligious Dialogue.

The Palazzo Madama, the 15th century palace of the Medici clan, which now houses the Senate of the Italian republic

We had a wide-ranging discussion on:

❦ Implementing the UN Biodiversity Convention;

❦ Middle power alliances to counterbalance great power coercion;

❦ Sustaining pluralism and inclusive models of national identity;

❦ The Future of the EU and European defence mobilisation.

Akaash Maharaj and Francesca La Marca, in front of a painting by Cesare Maccari, of Appius Claudius Caecus calling on the Roman Senate to resist capitulation

I was delighted to meet with Senator Francesca La Marca at the Palazzo Madama, the former Medici palace that houses Italy’s Senate.

Though the Western Roman Empire fell 1'550 years ago, Francesca and her fellow Senators clearly still strive to uphold 𝘷𝘪𝘳𝘵𝘶𝘴, 𝘨𝘳𝘢𝘷𝘪𝘵𝘢𝘴, 𝘦𝘵 𝘧𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘴.

My view in the main chamber at the UN FAO building in Rome, where the UN Convention on Biological Diversity is holding our plenary debates

We completed our second day of negotiations on the UN Convention on Biological Diversity, in Rome.

A palpable tension is being evoked by those states that are using the Convention as a pawn in their larger games of global diplomacy.

Our survival hinges on sense triumphing over schemes.

🌱 cbd.int

The United Nations FAO building in Rome, which is serving as the host venue for the negotiations on implementation of the UN Convention on Biological Diversity

The Basilica of Maxentius, which began construction in AD 312 under the Roman emperor Maxentius

Our first day of negotiations at the @unbiodiversity.bsky.social Convention on Biodiversity focussed on who pays how much to whom to achieve what.

Our talks unfold in buildings that face the ruins of the Basilica of Maxentius: a stark reminder of the consequences of poor political leadership.

The ruins of the Coliseum and the Triumphal Arch at Rome

The Convention on Biological Diversity negotiations are being held at the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) headquarters in Rome.

My badge identifies me as a representative of a “state party” to the Convention (ie, Canada). But I like to think it also declares me to be a one-man party.

We have begun our negotiations on implementation of the @unbiodiversity.bsky.social Convention on Biological Diversity.

Is it ironic or apt that we are convening in Rome, amidst the ruins of a once-great civilisation, laid low by political decay and social despotism?

🌱 cbd.int

The Convention on Biological Diversity is one of the most widely-adopted treaties of all time.

We are in the gravest mass extermination since the end of the dinosaurs, one driven by political choices.

Implementing the @unbiodiversity.bsky.social Convention would give biodiversity, and life itself, a fighting chance.

🇨🇦🌱🇮🇹 via.maharaj.org/sbi06

I will travel from my home in Almonte, to Rome, via Washington.

This week, I will serve as a member of Canada’s State Delegation on implementation of the UN Convention on Biological Diversity.

Our negotiations in Rome will be unglamorous and laborious. I defy anyone to read the diplomatic papers without nodding off.

Yet, the stakes are unutterably high.

📆 Thursday, 12 February 2026
⏰ 18h30 UTC
🔗 via.maharaj.org/bill9

The Canadian Interfaith Conversation will host the event. It will be free and open to all.

Panellists for the discussion on Québec’s Bill 9: Stephen Brown (Muslim); Simon Labrecque (Christian); Akaash Maharaj (Interfaith); Reuben Poupko (Jewish). https://via.maharaj.org/bill9

I will moderate a discussion between leaders of Canada’s Christian, Jewish, and Muslim communities, on Québec’s Bill 9.

It would override the federal Charter of Rights & Freedoms and provincial Charter of Human Rights & Freedoms to limit religious expression in public spaces and public professions.

At the Centre for Social Innovation: 350.org; Alliance of Canadian Land Trusts; Bruce Trail Conservancy; Conservation Ontario; Escarpment Biosphere Conservancy; Georgian Bay Land Trust; Gosling Foundation; GreenPAC; Nature Canada; Ontario Land Trust Alliance; Georgian Bay Land Trust; Sustainability Network

I felt energised to be at a gathering of some of the most determined #nature organisations operating in Ontario.

We discussed how to rouse the love of nature that defines us as Canadians, to protect the natural world at a time when too many public actors tell us we no choice but to sacrifice it.

At the Royal Canadian Geographical Society. Left to right: Jean Chrétien; Stephen Harper; John Geiger.

I am delighted the @rcgssgrc.bsky.social hosted a conversation between former prime ministers Jean Chrétien and Stephen Harper.

For all their differences, Chrétien and Harper clearly share a mutual respect and love of country.

They showed that we can disagree without despising one another.

The @pace.coe.int platform for Dialogue with Russian democratic forces in exile is in the best traditions of international support of domestic democratic development.

I hope they will create a prize, perhaps named for Alexei Navalny, to recognise Russians standing against tyranny in their country.

The Great Hall, at the Saddlers’ Hall

Worshipful Company of Saddlers coat of arms: the mottos are “Hold Fast, Sit Sure” and “Our Trust is in God”

Worshipful Company of Saddlers royal charter

The Worshipful Company of Saddlers was founded in 1395

The Saddlers will launch London’s Festival of the Professions, next week.

It is one of the few mediaeval guilds still involved in its trade. I joined as an equestrian athlete, to support its vocational education programmes.

We need more tradespeople, and to better value the dignity of their work.

An excerpt from my interview with The Narwhal’s Ainslie Cruickshank, in an article on the federal government’s failure to meet its international target of protecting 25% of Canada’s lands and waters by 2025

Canadians are worried about meeting our basic needs; governments are right to prioritise employment and economics.

And the best way to generate sustainable jobs is to build our economy on a foundation of environmental responsibility.

I spoke with @TheNarwhal.ca

📰 thenarwhal.ca/canada-misse...

Spirit of Haida Gwaii, by Bill Reid: a canoe filled with thirteen entangled ethereal beings, depicting the condition of life on Earth as seen through his eyes

The museum’s Grand Hall is devoted to Indigenous cultures of Canada’s Pacific Northwest

Morning Star Gambeh Then’, by Alex and Dean Janvier: each quadrant represents a different period in Canadian history, from an Indigenous perspective

The museum’s Grand Hall is devoted to Indigenous cultures of Canada’s Pacific Northwest

I enjoyed sitting down with Sarah Barnes, Curator of Sport and Leisure at the Canadian Museum of History, to discuss the connections between sport, nature, and national identity.

The @canmushistory.bsky.social itself, designed by Douglas Cardinal, is as much a work of art as the artefacts within.

Welcome to The Rundown

You asked, we delivered: @therundowntvo.bsky.social
is now a podcast! Listen to the first episode of 2026 on January 19, and follow wherever you get your podcasts.

Floof the dragon rider

If our cats had Bluesky accounts of their own, I shudder to think what they might post about us…

NASA Says Mars Rover Discovered Potential Biosignature Last Year - NASA A sample collected by NASA’s Perseverance Mars rover from an ancient dry riverbed in Jezero Crater could preserve evidence of ancient microbial life. Taken

In September, NASA’s Acting Administrator boasted that the Perseverance sample “is the closest we have ever come to discovering life on Mars...a groundbreaking discovery”.

Now, NASA will abandon the sample, rather than bring it to Earth for biosignature confirmation.

🚀 www.nasa.gov/news-release...