Global Scans · Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions · Weekly Summary

In September 2015, 193 world leaders agreed to 17 Global Goals for Sustainable Development. If these Goals are completed, it would mean an end to extreme poverty, inequality and climate change by 2030.
Goal 16: Promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, provide access to justice for all and build effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels.

• [New] Residents of European countries view Russia as the greatest threat to peace in Europe, while residents of Canada consider the United States under President Donald Trump to be the greatest threat to security. NV
• [New] Russian police and National Guard will stay in eastern Ukraine's Donbas even if a peace settlement ends the war, which Ukraine has rejected. Manifold
• [New] Concretely, as long as Russia or Ukraine feel insecure after a ceasefire and peace agreement, there will be no sustainable peace. Toda Peace Institute
• [New] An enduring peace deal between Ukraine and Russia will require a strategic shift in Moscow, a credible set of Western security commitments to Kiev, and a herculean amount of planning and technical expertise. Carnegie Endowment for International Peace
• [New] The Board of Peace, the new body Trump has established to reconstruct Gaza, could make the West Bank a central logistics hub for producing and assembling humanitarian supplies and, later on, infrastructure. Foreign Affairs Magazine
• [New] Celebrations in the year 2026 will be better than ever before as the sense of patriotism and Kosovo's enhanced quest for global prominence, recognition and peace progresses. Body and Soul International
• [New] The contrast between Czechoslovakia's peaceful Velvet Revolution and Romania's violent regime change offers vital lessons for Americans today about the importance of actively defending legal institutions and norms against authoritarian threats. Reason.com
• [New] While Ukrainian officials are loathe to dismiss Trump's peace efforts for fear incurring his displeasure, a majority of Ukrainians remain utterly unconvinced that Russian President Vladimir Putin has any interest whatsoever in ending hostilities. Atlantic Council
• [New] The U.S. House approved the PROTECT Taiwan Act by a 395-2 vote to exclude China from major international financial institutions if it threatens Taiwan's security. The Asia Cable
• [New] Other Chinese analysts have suggested that with the US exit from more than two dozen United Nations bodies - and Trump's effort to set up a parallel Board of Peace - Europe will simply need China more as an international counterweight. CNN
• [New] The United States' withdrawal from multilateral security institutions, including the potential reduction of its engagement in NATO, poses an existential threat to European defence policy. MILMAG
• [New] The Kremlin continues to show no willingness to compromise for good-faith peace negotiations or any indication that it will accept anything less than a full Russian victory in Ukraine. Critical Threats
• [New] Other significant tensions include President Trump's overtures on Greenland and Canada which could spell the end of the NATO alliance, China's military threats over Taiwan, and the continued peace talks between Russia-Ukraine. Marex
• [New] Cambodia is likely to maintain a hardline stance in demanding Thailand withdraw troops from newly occupied areas, which could leave relations in a stalemate of neither war nor peace. VOD
• [New] Challenges loom including the need for deeper reforms, an aging population, climate risks, weak institutions and U.S. pressure over its trade surplus. Virginia's home for Public Media
• [New] Delegations from the US, Ukraine and Russia have met together for the first time since Moscow launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine nearly four years ago, buoying hopes of a peace deal despite continued sticking points over territory. The Week
• [New] Ukraine will sign a 20-point peace plan with the United States, and a separate document will be signed by the United States and Russia.
• [New] The Syrian government will take over all civilian institutions in Hasakah Province and integrate the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria into Syrian state institutions. Critical Threats
• [New] Recognising that the emergence of fintechs presents a new challenge for CDIC, it reiterates its commitment of actively monitoring the increasing profile of fintechs and the risks they represent to Canadian financial institutions. Torys LLP
• [New] Recent and proposed changes in U.S. immigration policy threaten the pipeline of international talent filling critical workforce gaps - with uncertain consequences for students, institutions, and industries alike. NAFSA

Last updated: 16 February 2026