Lecture and book launch: Detained

Robert Sutherland Hall, Queen's University, 138 Union Street, Kingston, ON
View Larger Map ›

Join Daniel Livermore for a book launch and lecture for his new book Detained. This event will be hosted by Kim Nossal, Director of the Centre for International and Defence Policy at Queen's University in room 554 of the Robert Sutherland Hall.

Daniel Livermore, former director general of security and intelligence at the Canadian Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade, is senior fellow at the Graduate School of Public and International Affairs at the University of Ottawa and senior visiting fellow at the Bill Graham Centre for Contemporary International History at Trinity College, University of Toronto.

ABOUT THE BOOK

After the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, Canadian agencies willingly collaborated in the War on Terror launched by the United States to destroy Al Qaeda. This partnership went seriously astray, however, amid a series of fundamental errors by Canadian agencies and their misplaced trust in American willingness to abide by both international and US laws against torture. As a result, numerous Canadian citizens and residents were illicitly detained abroad and subjected to suffering and mistreatment.

In Detained Daniel Livermore analyzes the emergence of Islamic fundamentalist extremism and its Canadian implications, including the erroneous investigations that targeted Canadians and led to their detentions in Syria, Egypt, Pakistan, Libya, Tunisia, and Sudan. Scrutinizing the most prominent cases, he details the role of Canadian agencies in the imprisonments and relates how subsequent court cases brought the situations to light, resulting in settlements and apologies to Ahmad Abou-El-Maati, Abdullah Almalki, and Maher Arar, among others. Drawing on his experience in Canada's foreign ministry, Livermore explains how an essentially misguided War on Terror emerged and how Canadian-American cooperation went wrong.

“Detained proves useful as a textbook guide to what went wrong and what could go wrong. Livermore eloquently and clearly explains that terrorism has been a tactic of choice for many organizations, and while it brings tragedy to the best-prepared states, it can be successfully challenged over the long run by prudent policies that maintain the fundamental tenets of society.” Raheel Raza, author of Their Jihad … Not My Jihad!