Power, Politics, and Education - Canadian Universities and International Education in an Era of New Geopolitics

Oct 15, 2026

This paper examines how political tensions between Canada and Saudi Arabia, and between Canada and China, shape Canadian universities’ international education (IE) initiatives. It addresses three research questions about the key issues raised by these strains, the implications for Canada’s approach to IE amid new geopolitics, and the lessons for university-government relations. A systematic media study across three sources identifies 74 relevant articles and releases from Aug 2018 to Nov 2019. Results highlight media-driven themes connecting global politics and foreign policy to IE, framed through soft power, and culminate in three recommendations for Canada.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages17

Reading Time43 min

AccessFree to download

Abstract

Introduction

Research focus and cases

Media role in education policy

Method and media sources

Findings and themes

Discussion and soft power framework

Conclusions and recommendations

Power, Politics, and Education: Canadian Universities and International Education inan Era of New Geopolitics Roopa Desai Trilokekar York University Amira El Masri sheridan college Hani El Masry SOAS University of London Abstract This paper focuses on the recent political spars between Canada and Saudi Arabia as well as China and their impact on Canadian universities. It asks three questions: (1) What key issues did Canada’s political strains with Saudi Arabia and China raise for Canadian universities’ international education (IE) initiatives and what issues were absent? (2) What do these key issues suggest about Canada’s approaches to IE in an era of new geopolitics? and (3) What implications can be drawn from these cases about Canadian university-government relations in the context of new geopolitics? Given the powerful role media plays in education policy, a systematic study was conducted across three main media sources to identify 74 articles and news releases between August 2018 and November 2019. Three dominant themes are identified and analyzed, each vividly illustrating the close ties between global politics, government foreign policy and IE within Canadian Universities. On the one hand, the narratives speak to concerns about IE as a risk to national security and, on the other, as a vehicle for Canada’s economic prosperity. However, what the media has not achieved is a broader discussion on how Canada needs to revisit its IE objectives and approaches in light of broader geopolitical shifts. Using the theoretical framework of soft power, the paper speaks to the limitations and short-sightedness of Canada’s approach to IE as soft power in this era of new geopolitics and concludes with three recommendations for Canada. Keywords: soft power, international education, geopolitics, internationalisation, and international relations Résumé Cet article se concentre sur les répercussions sur les universités canadiennes des tensions politiques récentes entre le Canada et la Chine et entre le Canada et l’Arabie saoudite. Il pose trois questions : (1) Quels sont les problèmes causés parces tensions politiques pour les initiatives d’éducation internationale des universités canadiennes, et quels problèmes sontexclus? (2) Que suggèrent ces problèmes quant aux approches du Canada en ce qui concerne les initiatives d’éducation internationale à l’époque de la nouvelle géopolitique? (3) Quelles sont les implications sur les relations entre les universitéscanadiennes et le gouvernement du Canada dans le contexte de la nouvelle géopolitique? Puisque les médias jouent unrôle puissant dans les politiques éducatives, nous avons mené une étude systématique auprès de trois sources médiatiqueset retenu 74 articles de journaux et communiqués de presse entre août 2018 et novembre 2019. Il en ressort trois thèmes principaux qui illustrent les liens étroits entre la politique mondiale, la politique étrangère du gouvernement et les initiatives d’éducation internationale au sein des universités canadiennes. Il y a deux narratifs concurrents : d’une part, celui selonlequel l’éducation internationale serait une menace pour la sécurité nationale canadienne et d’autre part, celui selon lequell’éducation internationale contribuerait à la prospérité économique du Canada. Cependant, les médias n’abordent pas la question plus vaste de la manière dont le Canada devrait revoir ses objectifs et ses approches en matière d’éducation internationale à la lumière des grands changements géopolitiques. L’article utilise le cadre théorique du soft power pour discuter des limitations et du manque de vison de l’approche du Canada en ce qui concerne l’éducation internationale comme soft power à l’époque de la nouvelle géopolitique. La conclusion inclut trois recommandations pour le Canada. Mots-clés : puissance douce, éducation internationale, géopolitiques, internationalisation et relations internationales Canadian Journal of Higher Education | Revue c

FAQs

Which political incidents anchor the paper’s analysis?

The paper highlights a tweet from Canada’s Foreign Minister on August 3, 2018 regarding arrests in Saudi Arabia, and the December 1, 2018 arrest of Meng Wanzhou in Vancouver. These incidents initiate wider diplomatic tensions explored for their impact on Canadian universities.

How did the study investigate media influence on international education in Canada?

It conducted a systematic study across three main media sources to identify 74 articles and news releases between August 2018 and November 2019. The analysis extracts and examines dominant themes linking global politics, government foreign policy, and IE within Canadian universities.

What conclusions does the paper draw using the soft power framework?

Using soft power as the theoretical lens, the paper argues that Canada’s IE approach shows limitations and short-sightedness in the era of new geopolitics. It concludes with three recommendations for Canada and notes that the media does not sufficiently enable a broader discussion of revisiting IE objectives and approaches.

Oct 15, 2026

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