Today's update is from the archive: a paper written as part of a term assignment for a class on decision making in networks. Within the paper, I look at the force of opposition surrounding Canada's Northern Gateway pipeline project, days before the federal government was to announce its position based on the recommendations of a Joint Review Panel.

It has been a while that I hope to share this piece with you, but I have been constantly delaying its publication for several reasons:

The original paper had a strict word limit, which constrained the coverage of concepts from decision-making theory, so readers not familiar with the given principles may lack some contextual information;
As the days go by, I discover more and more areas for improvement, either in the form or in the content of its arguments;
This is perhaps the most important reason: I am not at peace with my previous conclusion, one that attributes the decision-maker, the Joint Review Panel, the attitudes of an innocent misinformed actor, or those of an all-reaching scheming one. I have had the opportunity, in my personal life and beyond, to confront and to make peace with the two-sideness, even the many-sidedness, of the situations and people who cross paths with us.

I have amended the paper accordingly. I hope the final position that you read is a nuanced one, with many shades of grey, for that is what I wish to accomplish and appreciate, in my life and in my work.