Canada Among Nations 1998: Leadership and Dialogue

Lawrence T. Woods is an associate professor of International Studies at
the University of Northern British Columbia and the author of
Asia-Pacific Diplomacy: The Nongovernmental Approach to Regional
Economic Co-operation.

Leadership and Dialogue is about just that. On the leadership theme, we
find Robert Wolfe and John Curtis’s thoughts on how Canada can lead
the World Trade Organization; Alain Pellerin’s assessment of our
connection to NATO enlargement (especially timely given the subsequent
NATO bombing of Yugoslavia and his caution that a peaceful Europe led by
NATO must include Russia); David Long’s equally timely comments on the
state of Canada–EU relations; Dean Oliver’s prediction that the
Canadian military will become a cheaper, lighter force dedicated to
peacekeeping, peace building, and humanitarian assistance roles; Paul
Halucha’s overview of how national interests affect the global climate
change of politics; and former Liberal MP John English’s perspective
on the role of the MP in the development of foreign policy.

The latter analysis serves as a useful link to the book’s second
theme. Elizabeth Smythe calls for more meaningful dialogue between the
Canadian government and civil society when it comes to the Multilateral
Agreement on Investment, as do Linda Reif in her discussion of
environmental issues and Jean Daudelin and Edgar Dosman in their review
of Canadian policy toward Latin America. Tim Draimin and Brian Tomlinson
express their hope that this enhanced dialogue will be converted into
shared leadership in the reform of Canadian aid policy, while Robert
Lawson provides a concrete example of such leadership in his review of
the so-called Ottawa process leading to an international ban on
antipersonnel mines.

Perhaps the most useful chapters for general readers and students of
Canadian foreign policy will be those by Steven Lee, who provides an
overview of the purpose, structure, and activities of the government’s
Canadian Centre for Foreign Policy Development, which he directs; and
Denis Stairs, who provides a solid academic analysis of the
government’s effort to incorporate the people into the policy process.


An index would aid this otherwise fine volume, as would a chapter
reviewing the legacy of the infamous Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation
(APEC) summit held in Vancouver in November 1997, especially given the
theme of last year’s volume and the decision to adorn the cover of the
paperback edition with a photo of the APEC leaders in leather jackets.