Canadian Foreign Policy

Stephen Harper's Cuba Policy: From Autonomy to Americanization?

The Harper government claims that it is keen to develop a strong policy towards Latin America. Yet it is a flawed approach, supporting US policy at a time when it is at its lowest point in decades, while ignoring both a clear leftward swing of elected Latin American governments in the last five years and the significant importance of Cuba in the region. This paper examines the Harper government's approach to Cuba. Following some general comments on the evolution of Canadian policy towards rev...

Defence Dilemmas: Continental Defence Cooperation, From Bomarc to Bmd

Canadian governments periodically find themselves stuck between a rock and a hard place on continental defence issues, facing pressure from the United States to support a controversial new initiative, and the expectation of substantial opposition at home. The conventional wisdom is that the decision to tilt one way or the other is ultimately a matter of political leadership. Bold and effective prime ministers are quick to say "yes" or "no" as they see fit. Weak prime ministers try to put off ...

Constructing a Middle Power: Ideas and Canadian Foreign Policy

Over forty years ago, John Holmes argued for the acceptance of some "ambiguity" in the use of the term "middle power," to seek "a logical clarification...would serve only to raise hornets, large, middle, and small." This paper seeks to contribute to the debate concerning middle power by examining middle power as a state of ideas rather than in the usual positional or behavioural terms. It is anticipated that this study will deepen our understanding of the middle power concept by providing an ...

Worlds Apart: Canadian and Brazilian Multilateralism in Comparative Perspective

Canadian policy makers have repeatedly emphasized improving relations with Brazil as a strategic objective in the Americas. Given past failures to cooperate, this objective may be difficult to realize. We argue that one of the reasons for this unrealized relationship between Canada and Brazil within hemispheric institutions is different national approaches to the role and purpose of multilateralism. This argument is advanced through an analysis of national interpretations of each country's en...

Le Libre-Échange Avec L'europe : Quel Est L'intérêt Pour Le Canada ?