Canadian American Strategic Review
Canadian Canadian American Strategic Review was a Canadian think tank focused on defence policy, military affairs, and questions of Canadian sovereignty.
Last updated August 26, 2026
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Overview
The Canadian American Strategic Review was a Canadian think tank and research publication concerned primarily with defence policy, military affairs, and Canadian sovereignty. It was associated for many years with Simon Fraser University, where it operated from the university's campus, and became a source used by journalists, scholars, and policy researchers examining Canada's military role and strategic interests. The Review's work covered practical and policy-oriented questions surrounding the Canadian Forces. Its research was cited in reporting and academic publications on subjects including the possible use of smaller CH-146 Griffon helicopters in Afghanistan, changes to Canadian defence policy, and the safety of military vehicles deployed in Afghanistan. These references indicate an emphasis on open-source analysis and applied commentary rather than on formal government policymaking. The organization also contributed to public discussion of Canada's arms-export responsibilities. In 2016, its Stephen Priestley was repeatedly quoted in Globe and Mail reporting concerning Saudi Arabia's use of Canadian-made light armoured vehicles. The reporting examined whether vehicles formally sold for Saudi Arabia's National Guard were being used by Saudi forces in Yemen in circumstances that could conflict with the relevant export licence. The issue also drew attention to a proposed additional Saudi order reported at approximately $15 billion, although the Review itself was a research and commentary organization rather than the seller or regulator of the equipment. The Review's influence was largely indirect. Its papers were cited by Canwest News Services, academic work associated with the U.S. Naval War College, journalist Peter Worthington, and Globe and Mail reporter Steven Chase. Shelagh D. Grant also identified the organization as one of two sources of particular significance in the bibliography of her history of Arctic sovereignty in North America. These citations suggest that the Review occupied a recognized niche in Canadian defence and sovereignty analysis, despite having a relatively specialized audience. The organization ceased operations in 2016. Its website was officially closed on December 31, 2016, and the think tank is therefore treated as defunct rather than active. Publicly available reference material does not establish a precise founding year, legal ownership structure, principal founder, financial model, or a complete list of staff and directors.
History
The Canadian American Strategic Review developed as a Canadian research and commentary organization focused on defence, military affairs, and sovereignty. For many years it operated from the campus of Simon Fraser University, giving it an institutional setting from which to publish analysis and make its work available to researchers, journalists, and policy observers. The available record does not specify the organization's founding year, incorporation status, founder, or detailed staffing structure. Its work was oriented toward practical questions affecting Canadian defence policy and military operations. In 2007, Canwest News Services cited one of its papers in connection with the possible use of smaller CH-146 Griffon helicopters in Afghanistan. The reference placed the Review in contemporary reporting about the capabilities and suitability of Canadian military aviation assets. In 2008, the U.S. Naval War College's International Law Studies cited another Review paper addressing Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper's 2005 change in defence policy. This demonstrated that the organization's material was also used in academic and professional discussion of Canadian strategic policy. The Review's research continued to be used in reporting about the Canadian Forces' deployment in Afghanistan. In 2009, journalist Peter Worthington cited a paper that statistically examined the safety of vehicles used by Canadian forces in that theatre. The subject reflected the Review's broader interest in the relationship between military procurement, operational conditions, and personnel safety. In 2016, the organization became connected to reporting about Canada's defence exports and Saudi Arabia. Globe and Mail journalist Steven Chase repeatedly quoted Stephen Priestley of the Review while examining Saudi use of Canadian-made light armoured vehicles. The reporting raised questions about whether vehicles nominally purchased for Saudi Arabia's National Guard were being used by the Saudi army's expeditionary force against rebels in Yemen, potentially contrary to the applicable export licence. It also discussed a reported additional Saudi order of approximately $15 billion. The Review's role in this episode was analytical and evidentiary: it provided expert commentary and did not itself manufacture, export, authorize, or regulate the vehicles. The organization was also recognized in scholarship on Arctic and North American sovereignty. In the bibliography to Polar Imperative: A History of Arctic Sovereignty in North America, Shelagh D. Grant described the Review as one of two sources of particular significance. This citation is consistent with the organization's wider identity as a specialist source on Canadian sovereignty and strategic affairs. The Review shut down in 2016. Its website was officially closed on December 31 of that year. Because the publicly described record contains little information about its internal governance, finances, membership, or successor organizations, the Canadian American Strategic Review is best documented as a now-defunct Canadian think tank whose influence came principally through published analysis and citations by media and academic sources.
- 2016
Saudi armoured-vehicle reporting
[1]Stephen Priestley of the Review was quoted in reporting about Saudi use of Canadian-made light armoured vehicles and the implications for Canadian export controls.
- 2016
Operations ended
[1]The organization's website was officially closed on December 31, 2016.
- 2009
Military vehicle-safety study cited
[1]Peter Worthington cited the Review's statistical analysis of vehicle safety for Canadian Forces equipment used in Afghanistan.
- 2008
Defence-policy research cited by the U.S. Naval War College
[1]International Law Studies, associated with the U.S. Naval War College, cited Review analysis of Canada's 2005 defence-policy change.
- 2007
Afghanistan helicopter analysis cited
[1]Canwest News Services cited a Review paper concerning the possible use of smaller CH-146 Griffon helicopters in Afghanistan.
Products and positioning
An independent Canadian defence and sovereignty research organization whose work was used by journalists and scholars as a source of policy analysis.
Research publication
Defence and strategic research papers
The Review produced analytical papers on Canadian defence policy, military capabilities, operational issues, and strategic affairs. Examples cited by outside sources addressed helicopter employment in Afghanistan, changes in Canadian defence policy, and the safety of vehicles used by Canadian Forces personnel. The available record does not provide a complete catalogue or publication schedule.
Policy commentary
Sovereignty and Arctic commentary
A significant part of the Review's public identity concerned Canadian sovereignty, including strategic questions relevant to the Arctic and North America. Its material was important enough to be identified by Shelagh D. Grant as one of two sources of particular significance in the bibliography of Polar Imperative. Specific series names and publication dates are not established in the available material.
Controversies
2016
Questions over Saudi use of Canadian-made armoured vehicles
The Review's Stephen Priestley was quoted in reporting that questioned whether Saudi forces used Canadian-made light armoured vehicles in Yemen in ways inconsistent with the vehicles' export licence. The issue also concerned a reported additional Saudi order of approximately $15 billion. The controversy concerned government export controls and the end use of military equipment, not misconduct by the Review itself.
Brand decisions
2016
Closure of the organizationOtherBackground
After years of publishing and operating from the Simon Fraser University campus, the Review ended its activities in 2016.
Action taken
The organization's website was officially closed on December 31, 2016.
Aftermath
The Review became defunct. Its previous papers and commentary continued to be cited in media and academic work, including research on Canadian defence and sovereignty.
Recent events
- 2016
Canadian American Strategic Review website closed[1]
Other
The organization's website was officially closed on December 31, 2016, marking the end of its public operations.
- 2009
Vehicle-safety analysis cited in coverage of Canadian Forces equipment[1]
Other
Journalist Peter Worthington cited Review research that statistically analyzed the safety of vehicles used by the Canadian Forces in Afghanistan.
- 2008
Review research cited in an academic study of Canadian defence policy[1]
Other
The U.S. Naval War College's International Law Studies cited a Review paper concerning Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper's 2005 change in defence policy.
- 2007
Canadian defence paper cited in reporting on CH-146 Griffon helicopters in Afghanistan[1]
Other
Canwest News Services cited a Canadian American Strategic Review paper discussing the possible employment of smaller CH-146 Griffon helicopters in Afghanistan.
Sources1 sources
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