Forty years ago, as the United States became increasingly involved in Vietnam, questions were raised in Canada about the relationship between its foreign policy agenda and that of its southern neighbour. Now, with the recent wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, it is time to raise the same questions: does Canada need an independent foreign policy? Does Canada have the capacity and will to chart its own course?

Divided into sections about the history of Canadian foreign policy, diplomacy, security, economics, decision-making and new policy issues, this collection of prominent political scientists provides valuable and timely perspectives on the state of Canada's international relations in the twenty-first century. Examining pertinent issues such as defence, security, the Arctic, global environmental cooperation, NAFTA, and the post-9/11 world, these accessible and insightful essays are a long-overdue reassessment of Canada and its current role in international affairs. An Independent Foreign Policy for Canada? asks the question that is perhaps more important now than forty years ago and supplies answers so pertinent to the twenty-first century.

Contributors

Brian Bow

Adam Chapnick

Stephen Clarkson

Patricia Goff

Stephanie R. Golob

Geoffrey Hale

Rob Huebert

Christopher Kukucha

Patrick Lennox

Christopher Sands

Heather A. Smith