Project Ploughshares is a Canadian peace research institute with a focus on disarmament efforts and international security, specifically in the areas of the arms trade, emerging military and security technologies, nuclear weapons, and outer space security.
Recent Blog Posts
More clarity on Canada’s views on military applications of artificial intelligence needed
May 13, 2019Canada appears to be leading the way in the responsible use of artificial intelligence (AI) with a number of initiatives and guidelines intended to to ensure that AI applications are based on sound reasoning and common values. However, largely absent in its discussions of strategy and risk are military applications of AI—in particular, the growing autonomy of weapons systems. Canada ...
Event: Conflicts in Space: Preventable or Unavoidable?
With input from a geographically diverse panel of distinguished experts, this roundtable aims to foster dialogue on this critical question for our time.
Murray Thomson, co-founder Project Ploughshares, 1922-2019
May 6, 2019Canada’s reluctant participation in peacekeeping in Mali: What it reveals
April 24, 2019When Canada announced that it would not be extending its commitment to the United Nations peacekeeping mission in Mali beyond one year, few were surprised. But many are perplexed that Canada is reportedly unwilling to consider a UN request to extend its mission until a replacement Romanian contingent arrives in October, a mere three-months extension. On April 5, a House ...
Recent Publications
Statement to the 3rd Preparatory Committee for the 2020 NPT Review Conference
May 7, 2019Nearly fifty years after the entry into force of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, the international community remains woefully distant from a credible process that would make even the most optimistic observer believe that the abolition of nuclear weapons is within sight. Read full text.
10 Things You Should Know About Killer Robots
March 27, 20191. What are Killer Robots? Actually, pretty much what they sound like. These are autonomous weapons systems that could kill human beings without any human involvement in the critical functions of target selection and the employment of lethal force. Lethal autonomous weapons systems could take many physical forms, and could also operate in large numbers and distributed architectures. The emergence ...
Tracing Canada’s military exports: Analyzing the 2017 report
March 26, 2019The release of Global Affair Canada’s (GAC) Report on the Export of Military Goods from Canada—2017 provided the most authoritative and comprehensive account of Canadian military exports on record.
Support Project Ploughshares
Every dollar makes a difference