1. What inspired you to pursue a career in investigative journalism, particularly in anti-corruption and global geopolitics?
I’ve always been a very avid reader, particularly drawn to authors such as Dostoyevsky and Hemingway, who have reporting-like qualities in their work. I attended university intending to study logic, history, and English to prepare for law school. Eventually, I decided on journalism, but I was deeply motivated by legal and court reporting. This naturally led me to develop investigative and fact-finding skills, which are essential in investigative journalism.
In hindsight, my interest in politics, finance, and how the real estate industry in the U.S., coupled with corrupt lending practices, triggered a major crash and financial crisis greatlyinfluencedme. At the time, as a young reporter in Vancouver, I was noticing very mysterious real estate price action, apparent corruption, and money laundering. This ultimately led me to uncover the geopolitics of nations such as China and Iran, which have intelligence and influence arms embedded in illicit finance and underground banking networks in Vancouver. I learned that the classic stereotype of ‘follow the money’ is very true when it comes to understanding economic and political influence and corruption.
2. As a bestselling author and journalist, how do you balance professional commitments with personal ambitions?
This is a good question – there is a lot of motivation, dedication, and drive that goes into rigorous investigative reporting, and the same is true of writing. It’s also necessary to ensure that this focus and drive don’t create stress in my family relationships. There is a certain amount of risk that surrounds the topics and networks I cover, so I have to carefully consider how to mitigate this for myself and for the people close to me.
Professional Life and Career Highlights
Your book “Wilful Blindness” has had a significant impact. Could you share its most unexpected influence, on policymakers or global audiences?”
The most unexpected outcome has been hearing from policymakers and law enforcement officials who’ve told me that the book opened their eyes to systemic issues they hadn’t fully grasped before. I’ve realized that while I am learning from deep law enforcement sources, people at a high level in the U.S. and Canada, as well as experts in think tanks, politicians, and intelligence or enforcement professionals, have also found value in the connections and assessments I present.
They’ve told me that my work has helped them learn, sparked real discussions, and contributed to policy changes that hopefully strengthen democracies and their resilience against hybrid warfare and societal undermining by hostile regimes. That was a surprise and very rewarding, along with the popular success the book has had in sales. Many readers have said the book broke new ground and brought very hidden and complex topics to the public, which I believe is why it has resonated so widely.
It has also sparked conversations in unexpected places, like diaspora communities and international forums, about how transnational corruption affects everyday lives. In particular, hearing from diaspora members who feel the book is helping to improve policy—especially when their concerns were previously ignored by governments-is both rewarding and humbling. Additionally, the fact that various law enforcement agencies have asked me to present findings in ways that can help their frontline officers and even inform strategic policy has been a deeply gratifying surprise that I never expected.
Could you describe how your work at The Province, Vancouver Sun, and Global News prepared you for founding The Bureau?
Each of these roles honed different skills. At The Province and Vancouver Sun, I developed a deep understanding of local investigative reporting, particularly on real estate and money laundering. There was also a significant focus on the Vancouver City Hall beat at The Province. This is where I ‘cut my teeth,’ forming my early suspicions that real estate development had a major influence on city politics. I feared there could be corruption, and over time, my instincts have been proven at all levels.
One example that stands out is a quote from former Mayor Kennedy Stewart. It reflects something I had sensed as a young reporter in Vancouver but is now effectively being affirmed by someone who saw the story from the inside. The story itself is also a comprehensive overview of the issues I broke in Canada and draws on my former experience as a British Columbia and Vancouver reporter. https://www.thebureau.news/p/exclusive-csis-report-says-china
While previous reports have noted Tong Xiaoling, the Consul-General who departed her post on July 28, 2022, was displeased with Stewart’s friendly posture towards Taiwan, Stewart thinks Vancouver real estate is the real key to China’s election interference.
Stewart says he suspects most of Vancouver’s development is driven by investors from Mainland China, and Vancouver developers effectively control the majority of municipal campaign donations.
‘About three weeks out from the election in 2022, my funding just stopped,’ Stewart said.
‘I’m looking out my window here, and seeing a trillion dollars of real estate in Vancouver,’ he added. ‘There’s a lot to play for here. And all of it is controlled by six votes on an 11-member council. You can turn a single-family home into a 60-story tower, overnight.’
At Global News, I learned how to tackle national and international stories with broader implications. I also gained experience as a broadcast reporter, presenting my findings on air in some cases. These experiences equipped me with the tools to buildThe Bureau as a platform for in-depth, impactful reporting across digital, video, and podcast formats.
Global Geopolitics
How do you envision the global geopolitical landscape evolving in the next few years, particularly in relation to conflicts such as Russia/Ukraine, China/Taiwan, and Israel/Palestine?
These conflicts are, in my view, fully interconnected. As I’ve argued in podcasts for The Bureau and in external interviews, a nexus of hostile states has aligned as an ‘anti-NATO,‘ so to speak. We already see cooperation between Russia, China, and Iran in some of these conflicts, particularly in Russia’s war against Ukraine. This is evident in both subtle ways—such as sanction evasion—and increasingly overt actions like arms sales.
Others, such as Matt Pottinger in his bookThe Boiling Moat, have highlighted the significance of a videotaped exchange between Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin. In it, Xi remarked that ‘changes not seen in 100 years are occurring now’ to the benefit of China and Russia, to which Putin agreed. These themes are likely to continue emerging. I agree with Mr. Pottinger that the West has been slow to recognize that China, Russia, and their proxies are arming up to reshape the global order. To prevent disaster in Taiwan, the next two years will require rapid and intelligent strengthening of military power, alliances, and arms among Western allies to bolster deterrence.
The Trump administration is likely to be unpredictable with regard to Russia/Ukraine but seems intent on strongly supporting Israel’s objectives against Hamas to undermine Iran’s power. This may allow the U.S. and its allies in Japan, Australia, and Europe to turn their full attention and resources to China and Taiwan. I would have hoped that Canada would play a part in that strong coalition, but at this point, it doesn’t appear to be a meaningful contributor.
How does Canada’s geopolitical positioning influence its response to such crises compared to the United States?
As I mentioned earlier, Canada’s lack of military spending in recent decades—particularly under the current Liberal government—has eroded trust among our allies. This has left Canada often on the wrong side of messaging and geopolitics compared to our Western allies.
Canada also faces deep vulnerabilities to foreign interference and is not positioned to protect its own interests and security as effectively as it should be.
I’ve been vocal in my view that we are not living up to the historic strength Canada demonstrated in the last great wars or its reputation as a reliable ally. To take meaningful geopolitical positions on the key flashpoints you’ve mentioned, Canada needs to significantly strengthen its military, align more closely with allies, and restore the trust of its partners.
The New US President: Donald Trump
Donald Trump’s re-election has sparked global debates. How do you foresee his presidency shaping North American and global politics, especially regarding China and Russia?
The U.S. position on China, especially regarding Taiwan, has traditionally been one of strategic ambiguity. I think we can expect Trump’s presidency to follow themes of strategic unpredictability and even explosiveness. This approach will likely be of great concern to Xi Jinping, who, according to reasonable accounts, is beginning to face signs of internal dissent and perhaps broader social problems.
The narrative of China’s inevitable economic rise no longer seems as strong as it did a few years ago.
If voices like former national security advisor Matthew Pottinger return in Trump 2.0, we can envision very strong support for Taiwan, as well as the marshalling of allies to build deterrence capacity. Trump’s administration would likely adopt an increasingly aggressive economic, diplomatic, and intelligence posture aimed at convincing the Chinese Communist Party that Xi’s path of aggression is unsustainable.
Regarding Russia, its alignment with China and Iran as part of the so-called ‘anti-NATO’ bloc would likely receive similar treatment from strong voices in the Trump administration, such as Marco Rubio and Michael Waltz. However, Trump’s affinity for powerful Silicon Valley supporters—some of whom hold variant views on Russia—along with the influence of isolationist voices within a potential Trump regime, could introduce unpredictability in U.S. policy toward Russia and the European Union.
The Fentanyl Crisis
Smuggling of Fentanyl to the USA from China through Mexico (Credits: DEA Intelligence Report)
At IJ-Reportika, we recently published Smuggling of the Deadly Synthetic Opioid Fentanyl. How do you view China’s role in the fentanyl crisis, and is international cooperation enough to address its geopolitical and public health impacts?
In Wilful Blindness, I laid out the case that the People’s Republic of China appeared to be welcoming, and even complicit, in the massive trade of fentanyl precursor chemicals globally. Mexico and Canada have become key nodes of Triad economic infiltration, enabling the fentanyl death crisis to devastate public health in Canada and the United States.
That thesis has not only been adopted but strengthened through U.S. Congressional investigations, which now allege that PRC and CCP officials are actively subsidizing fentanyl and methamphetamine trafficking worldwide. This is believed to serve the CCP’s economic and hybrid warfare geopolitical objectives. The Trump administration’s recent announcement of 25 percent tariffs against Canada and Mexico in response to fentanyl trafficking and illegal immigration—which is facilitated by the nexus of CCP officials, Triads, and Latin American organized crime, as I have reported in The Bureau—makes it clear that the U.S. government views China as a witting sponsor of global fentanyl trafficking. Washington is now moving toward holding Beijing accountable for the resulting deaths.
Relevant to your question, I have repeatedly warned over the past several years that Canada is on the wrong side of the fentanyl issue, as well as the PRC interference and infiltration issue. Canada has weak laws that have allowed transnational crime to strategically use the country as a hub. For too long, Canada has been a non-contributing partner in countering global illicit finance and narcotics networks. Strong multilateral agency partnerships and even ‘carve-outs‘ for shared laws countering fentanyl trafficking are clearly needed to ensure that Canada and Mexico are not exploited as weak points.
While this may seem like a potential loss of sovereignty to some, we must respond to the reality of facing hybrid warfare activities that increasingly undermine and attack the freedoms, living standards, and lives we value. These are life-and-death matters. The U.S. government will eventually take strong countermeasures, even against a Five Eyes ally, if Ottawa’s political elite continues to allow significant portions of the nation to be used as a proxy for Chinese influence.
I believe my warnings have now been proven accurate. It’s a shame that so few people in Ottawa understand the implications or have paid attention to the case I laid out in Wilful Blindness and in my reporting for The Bureau.
About Sam Cooper
Sam Cooper is an award-winning investigative journalist and best-selling author, who has presented his anti-corruption findings to Canadian law enforcement agencies, officials in the Pentagon, financial and legal professionals, and academics. Cooper graduated with a degree in history, philosophy and English from the University of Toronto and a certificate in Journalism from Langara College, before reporting for The Province and Vancouver Sun in British Columbia, and Global News in Ottawa. He has won a number of awards for narrative reporting and his first book, Wilful Blindness, debuted as a #1-seller on Amazon, in Canada.
