Politics @ the Pub: Diplomacy with Authoritarian and Adversarial Regimes

REGISTRATION

Please register for this in-person event on Eventbrite.

Tickets include a complimentary beverage.

EVENT DESCRIPTION

Ever wonder how Canadian diplomats conduct foreign policy and diplomacy in countries under authoritarian and adversarial regimes like North Korea or Russia? National interests require Canada and Canadian diplomats to deal with authoritarian states which may be in adversarial relationships with Canada. In light of this and keeping in mind that we live in a world where friendly states can become adversaries and diplomats need to deal with friends and foes alike, join former Canadian diplomats, James Trottier, Christopher Shapardanov, and Pamela Isfeld, along with moderator Valerie Keyes, as they discuss the realities, challenges, and the future of diplomacy with authoritarian regimes and adversarial states.

PANELISTS

James Trottier, Fellow of the Canadian Global Affairs Institute and former Canadian diplomat to South Korea with cross-accreditation to North Korea

James Trottier is a Fellow of the Canadian Global Affairs Institute, a lawyer, a former career Canadian diplomat and a commentator and analyst on North Korea and Asian security issues in media and at expert forums. He is considered one of Canada’s foremost experts on North Korea. 

He led several Canadian diplomatic delegations to North Korea in 2015 and 2016, attended the trial for sedition in Pyongyang of a Canadian prisoner and conducted successful negotiations leading to his release. 

James Trottier headed the Political/Economic (Diplomatic) Program at the Canadian Embassy in South Korea where he was also diplomatic liaison to US Forces Korea/UN Command Korea.  He co-hosted with the US Embassy the annual North Korea Watchers Conference attended by diplomatic, military, and intelligence officials from Five Eyes States and led the Canadian delegation.

In South Korea, James Trottier played a leading role in securing the timely South Korean ratification of the Canada-Korea Free Trade Agreement and in organizing the exchange of official visits by the Prime Minister of Canada and the President of South Korea; he was the lead negotiator of the Joint Statement/Joint Declaration for each visit. 

He headed Political/Economic Affairs at Canadian Embassies in Thailand and the Philippines and was the Chargé d'affaires and Political Counsellor in Myanmar (where he met regularly with democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi while she was under house arrest). 

He served for 4 years at the Permanent Mission of Canada to the UN in New York where he was the lead on global human rights and the Acting Legal Adviser when Canada was on  the UN Security Council. 

In Ottawa, his responsibilities included environmental relations with the USA, political/economic  relations with the EU and organization of 4 Canada-EU Summits between 3 Canadian Prime Ministers and EU leaders. 

Called  to the bar in Ontario, James Trottier has a JD law degree (Osgoode Hall Law School, Toronto), LL.M. in International Law (Faculty of Law, University of Ottawa), M.A. in Modern History (University of Toronto). 

In 2025, James Trottier was awarded the King Charles III Coronation Medal for his work on international affairs. The Office of the Governor General says that the Coronation Medal is awarded to individuals who have made significant contributions to Canada or have achieved outstanding accomplishments that bring credit to the country. 

Pamela Isfeld, President of  Professional Association of Foreign Service Officers (PAFSO) and Canadian diplomat previously assigned to Afghanistan and Russia

Pam Isfeld became a Foreign Service Officer in 1993 and has served in Moscow, Nairobi, Sarajevo, Kabul, Kandahar, and Warsaw. She has held a variety of positions at headquarters including as Special Coordinator for Iran and, most recently, Deputy Director of Policy Research. Since February 2019, she has been serving as PAFSO’s first full-time president, where she was responsible for, among other things, leading the Association through its first strategic review.

Christopher Shapardanov, Senior Associate  at David Pratt & Associates and former Canadian diplomat to Russia

Christopher Shapardanov is a retired career foreign service officer with experience in challenging policy and operational settings in Ottawa and abroad. After almost a year of language training, he was posted to the Canadian Embassy in Moscow from 1990 to 1993 - during which he witnessed the breakup of the USSR.  With the International Staff at NATO HQ in Brussels, Belgium, he worked on the early phases of NATO-Russia and NATO-Ukraine relations and also deployed to Skopje, North Macedonia with the KFOR command staff.   He was posted  twice to the Canadian Embassy in Washington which included time on the Permanent Joint Board on Defence. He was appointed Ambassador to Finland from 2009 to 2013. In 2017, he was appointed Executive Director of Intelligence Policy and Programs until 2020 when he retired from Global Affairs Canada.  Through his work with the Information Integrity Lab at the University of Ottawa, he visited Canadian troops in Latvia in 2024 and 2025. He is currently a Senior Associate with David Pratt & Associates. 

MODERATOR

Valerie Keyes, Retired public servant at National Defence and former Canadian Forces officer

Valerie Keyes had nearly thirty-five years of experience in the federal Public Service, having previously served in the Canadian Armed Forces for 13 years. A graduate of the University of Toronto and the Royal Military College of Canada, she is the first (and only) Canadian to receive the Master of Science in Leadership from the Olin School of Business, Washington University in St Louis.

Prior to her retirement, Valerie spent most of her Public Service career in National Defence, in such diverse domains as government relations, humanitarian policy operations, and Western Hemisphere defence relations, and intelligence and security. She also served as Special Adviser to the British Army on peacekeeping policies and doctrine, as well as ethos and leadership.

Other appointments included Public Works Canada, Natural Resources Canada, and the Privy Council Office. She lastly served as the Director of Personnel Security and Identity Management at National Defence.

Valerie was elected as the first woman President of the Royal Military Colleges Club of Canada in September 1998. She is currently the President of the Ottawa and Area Chapter of MADD Canada and has been a life-long member of the Canadian International Council and its predecessor. 

Know what’s Happening Next — before everyone else does.

Get App

Host or Publisher CIC National Capital Branch