The Globe and Mail
Ron Smith
Last published April 2026 · On our record since 2026
Where this writer stands
Foreign affairs1 piece
Alliance restraintAssertive alliances and sanctions
“Instead of relying on an external guarantor, all the Gulf's littoral states should establish a regional framework, supported but not dominated by foreign powers, to coordinate maritime management, joint patrols and intelligence sharing.” Read the piece
Defence1 piece
Restrain spending and deploymentsHigher spending and more capability
“existing security architecture in the Persian Gulf is expensive to maintain. Operational costs alone are estimated at US$10–30 billion per year.” Read the piece
Only opinion columns and editorials are scored. Each piece is read twice by a language model, which records the author's own stance on a policy topic only where the piece argues one, with a quote that must appear in the piece. An author's position on a topic is the average of their pieces, weighted by the model's confidence. News reporting is listed but never scored.
Recent work
- Opinion: We must reopen the Strait of Hormuz. But here’s how we ensure it never closes againOpinion · The Globe and Mail · Apr 30, 2026