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In this episode of Lex Pacificatoria, Michael speaks with Sabine Nölke, former Canadian Ambassador and a seasoned international lawyer, about her extensive diplomatic career, the evolution of Canadian foreign policy, and the future of multilateralism. Sabine reflects on her role in providing guidance to the government in drafting key international treaties, the challenges of creating accountability mechanisms, and the personal qualities needed to succeed in diplomacy today. She shares candid insights into Canada’s shifting alliances in the Trump 2.0 era, the erosion of trust and expertise in international relations, and why she remains cautiously optimistic about international law’s enduring role.

Produced and hosted by Michael Campbell https://x.com/Campbell_M_J

Sponsored by the Western Academy for Advanced Research's 2025 theme "Exploring Possibilities for Peace in the 21st Century"

• Western Academy for Advanced Research: https://uwo.ca/academy/index.html
• Exploring Possibilities for Peace in the 21st Century: https://uwo.ca/academy/themes/possibilities_for_peace/index.html
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Connect with Sabine Nölke online:

• BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/snolke.bsky.social/
• LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/sabine-nolke-🇨🇦-3041b727
• Substack: https://substack.com/@canuck21

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© Michael J. Campbell 2025

Time codes
0:00 Why pursue international law?
5:04 Establishing a career
8:47 Achievements
13:10 Important of mentors
15:55 Canadian identity
18:22 Return of expansionism
20:22 Loss of American allyship
22:05 Art of persuasion
24:31 Working with Trump
27:25 Trump 2.0
30:17 Acknowledging bias
30:55 Threats to security
33:47 International criminal justice
36:09 Optimism
38:24 Does international law work?
40:58 Advice for future diplomats
43:08 Be interested in the world
43:47 Be wary of grand narratives

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Zhanna Galeyeva is the co-founder and Chief Executive Officer of Bird of Light Ukraine, an organization that delivers humanitarian aid directly to Ukrainians. February 24, 2024 marks the two-year anniversary of Russia’s full scale invasion of Ukraine beginning the largest European war since World War II. Two years ago, Zhanna was in Ukraine when the invasion began. She had returned from the United States to Ukraine to reconnect with her family. Since the invasion, Zhanna has dedicated her time to delivering more than 5.5 million dollars worth of humanitarian aid, impacting the lives of over 250,000 Ukrainians.

Produced and hosted by Michael Campbell https://x.com/Campbell_M_J

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Bike Riding in Kabul: The Global Adventures of a Foreign Aid Practitioner recounts Jamie Bowman’s experience as a legal consultant in 7 countries across 3 continents while she endeavours to assist the nations in building up their social and democratic institutions. A California native, Jamie graduated from the University of California - Berkeley before attaining a law degree and being called to the bar of the State of California. Jamie practiced as in-house counsel for a mortgage lender in the US, before deciding to ditch the corporate life for the unpredictability of international development work.

A few weeks ago, I had the chance to talk to Jamie Bowman about her new book, in which she documents her experiences overseas. Her experiences included…

• working as a foreign development aid consultant in Ukraine

• bribing her way out of arrest by the Russian police

• surviving a bombing in South Sudan

• and, of course, getting lost on a bike ride in Afghanistan

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Bike Riding in Kabul: The Global Adventures of a Foreign Aid Practitioner

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Consider donating to the Indian Residential School Survivors Society. http://www.irsss.ca

Dr. Sean Carleton
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https://www.seancarleton.com/

Dr. Sean Carleton is the author of Lessons in Legitimacy: Colonialism, Capitalism, and the Rise of State Schooling in British Columbia, and a professor of history and Indigenous studies at the University of Manitoba. He completed his BA and MA in history at Simon Fraser University, and his PhD at the Frost Centre for Canadian Studies and Indigenous Studies at Trent University. He was a Visiting Research Scholar in the Department of Economic History at the London School of Economics; and held a post-doctoral fellowship in the Departments of History and Native Studies at the University of Alberta. Dr. Carleton’s comments have been featured in CBC News, The Globe and Mail, The Guardian, The Toronto Star, The Conversation, and APTN, among others.

Produced and hosted by Michael Campbell https://x.com/Campbell_M_J

Resources mentioned in this episode:
Lessons in Legitimacy in hardcover and softcover from UBC Press. https://bcns.ai/yVrpy6
Lessons in Legitimacy is also available at McNally Robinson. Support local. https://bcns.ai/FBQ03A
A Knock on the Door: The Essential History of Residential Schools from the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada https://bit.ly/43WpuSI
Indigenous Canada online course by the University of Alberta https://www.coursera.org/learn/indigenous-canada
Truth and Reconciliation Commission Reports https://nctr.ca/records/reports/#trc-reports
Orange shirts available at the NCTR Shop. https://bit.ly/45dUUVN
Amazon Kindle: Lessons in Legitimacy* https://amzn.to/3MMBUaE
Amazon Kindle: A Knock on the Door: The Essential History of Residential Schools from the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada* https://amzn.to/459p1xy
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© Michael J. Campbell 2023

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Teaser for Episode 1: Confronting Residential School Denialism

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