International Relations

Unit 20

Introduction• A great power, a middle power or a small

power?

Canada sought status in world affairs as a so-called middle power: too small to be a great power, but large enough and strong enough to act as an intermediary in world affairs.

• A pragmatic approach to foreign policy

Political Geography• Difficulty in defense “indefensible”

• International organizations:

military: the Permanent Joint Board on Defense (1940)

North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) 1949

North American Air (later Aerospace) Defense Agreement, 1958

economic: the UN

the Commonwealth

Colombo Plan

La Francophonie

GATT—WTO

World Bank

FTA—NAFTA

• Security and well-being through cooperation and dialogue

From junior partner to middle power• WWI no independent foreign policy

led by Britain with great contribution e.g. Royal Air Corps domestic suffering increased tension between English- and French-

speaking Canadians

• Conscription

Conscription ( 强迫征募，尤指军队；征兵 )

World War I broke out in 1914 and Canada, as an ally of Great Britain, automatically found itself in the fray. Prime Minister Robert Borden's intention to send a large number of soldiers aroused furious debate across the country - debate that would culminate in a real crisis when conscription was carried out in 1917. Robert Borden, an ardent imperialist, was determined to maintain Canada's participation, and for him this was the only way for Canada to be considered equal to Great Britain, rather than a mere colony. Borden was convinced of the importance of establishing a forced conscription system to compensate for losses. French-Canadians refused to let the government impose conscription. The country emerged deeply divided by this crisis, and the Conservative Party lost its influence in Quebec and in the West.

Canadian nurses in a military hospital in France vote in the federal election of 1917.

Robert Borden during the war bonds campaign.

Recruiting poster to convince francophones.

Recruiting poster to convince francophones.

Recruiting poster to convince francophones.

Anti-conscription protest in Montreal, May 24, 1917.

• WWII & Conscription The Conscription Crisis of 1944 was a political and military crisis in

Canada during World War II. It was similar to the Conscription Crisis of 1917, but was not as politically damaging.

• Influence of WWII The most significant outcome of World War II for Canada in its

foreign relations was the relative decline of Britain and the emergence of the United States as the world's foremost economic and military power. Canada's relations with Britain became increasingly distant; those with the United States became closer.

• Suez Crisis• Cold War

Suez Crisis• Suez Crisis, international confrontation along the

Suez Canal in 1956 that pitted Egypt against the combined forces of Israel, Britain, and France. The crisis, which was provoked by Egypt’s nationalization of the strategic waterway, triggered the diplomatic intervention of both the United States and the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR). It was finally defused through the placement of a United Nations (UN) peacekeeping force in the canal zone.

Liberal Internationalism( 自由主义，自由国际主义 )• Liberal Internationalism (often shortened to

Liberalism), is a belief that interdependency of all people and - specifically - all nations are essential to the progress and welfare of humankind.

• Liberal Internationalism came up with it's own hybrid called Neo-Liberalism in the 1960s, which thought international co-operation was essential but needed a basis in the co-operation of sovereign states willing to participate.

Canada’s military commitments

• “involuntary military guarantee”

• NATO and a “free rider”

Canadian-American relations• A Unique and Vital Relationship The links between our countries are deep, diverse

and complex.

They share:• A long tradition of cooperation in defending our continent and fighting

for freedom. • The world's largest trading relationship. • A common border that stretches across 8,893 kilometers (5,526

miles) of land and three oceans. • Stewardship of a rich and diverse environment, including 20 percent

of the world's supply of fresh water in the Great Lakes.

• Partners for Security

• Partners in Economic Growth

• Partners for Energy Security

• Partners for a Smart Border

• Partners on Environmental Issues

• A Rules-Based Partnership

• Canadian leaders struggled to reconcile the goals of safeguarding Canadian sovereignty and integrating Canada into the U.S. economic, diplomatic, and military spheres of influence. The dilemma was complicated by the fact that Canadians shared to a considerable degree the U.S. view of the postwar world.