Episode 4.7: International Realism and the Rules of the Game

Welcome to 2026 and to a new episode of Battle Rhythm, with co-host Thomas Hughes, Assistant Professor at Mount Allison University. Steve and Thomas discuss the US Intervention in Venezuela, what it means for international law and order and how to incorporate Realist political theory (with a nod to Thucydides) in analyzing this situation with a look at implications for Greenland, Denmark and Canada. Today’s Feature Interview is with Combined Air Operations Center (CAOC) Director Colonel Curtis Wright. Col Wright hails from Lethbridge, AB and joined the CAF in June 1990 under the Regular Officer Training Plan graduating from Royal Military College with a Bachelor's degree in History. He received his Navigator Wings in 1996 and joined the Long Range Patrol community flying the CP-140 Aurora. He has amassed over 3500 flying hours on the CP140 during multiple operational tours at both 404 Sqn Greenwood, NS and 407 Sqn Comox, British Columbia. During these tours he has been a NAVCOM, TACNAV, Standards and Training, Aircrew Flight Commander and Deputy Commanding Officer. Col Wright has also had the opportunity to be employed in some extremely interesting staff tours. He was the Current Operations Officer in ACCE P at MARPAC HQ, the Career Manager for LRP and UAS ACSOs in the Air Staff in Air Readiness and DMilC4 as the Career Manager for RCAF LCols. Col Wright also attended ACSC in Shrivenham, UK in 2015. He was the Commanding Officer of 19 Operations Support Squadron in Comox, BC from 2017-2020. In addition to his deployments as crew of the CP140, Col Wright has deployed a number of times in non-flying billets. He deployed in 2009 iso OP ATHENA as the Deputy Commanding Officer of the Canadian Heron UAV Detachment in Kandahar, Afghanistan; in 2012 on OP FOUNDATION to the AFCENT CAOC in Qatar as the Senior National Representative, where he was responsible for the integration of Canadian Strategic Lift assets into the coalition program; in 2019 to OP NEON as the Deputy Commander of the Enforcement Coordination Cell responsible for the enforcement of UN sanctions against DPRK; and most recently in 2020-2021 as the Commander of the Air Task Force – IMPACT in Kuwait. In 2022, Col Wright was promoted to his current rank, changed trades to Air Operations Officer and was posted to CANSOFCOM HQ as the Director Air. In July 2024 he was posted to his present position as the CAOC Director in Winnipeg MB. Additional Links: Wohlforth, William C., ' Realism', in Christian Reus-Smit, and Duncan Snidal (eds), The Oxford Handbook of International Relations (2008; online edn, Oxford Academic, 2 Sept. 2009), https://doi.org/10.1093/oxfordhb/9780199219322.003.0007, accessed 6 Jan. 2026 Greenland and NATO: Is It All On the Table?: https://saideman.blogspot.com/2026/01/greenland-and-nato-is-it-all-on-table.html