Chapter 17 Review Questions

Canadians’ view of themselves has the following elements: (a) we are a peace-loving people; (b) we are respected, listened to, and admired abroad; (c) we stand for multilateralism and reliance on the United Nations and its agencies to solve global conflicts; and (d) we “hit above our weight” in international affairs. 

The debates overlap—realists are likely to lean towards a continentalist understanding of how best to protect and promote Canada’s economic and security interests. Idealists are more likely to be nationalists and therefore wary of Canada being tied too closely to the United States. On such issues as energy policy, missile defence, border security, and trade, realists are more likely to take positions sympathetic to maintaining or even deepening Canada–US integration. Idealists tend to believe that this integration has already gone too far and that a policy of building counterweights to American influence and strengthening international institutions is in Canada’s best interests.

For Brooks, globalization means the historically unprecedented speed and scope of exchanges between different societies and regions of the world.

According to Marx, it creates competitive and mutually exclusive interests (i.e., between the owners of the means of production and those who sell their labour); the gap between the rich and poor widens and greater polarization of interests occurs; capitalists search the globe for workers and resources and draw more people into the cycle of exploitation; governments become the protectors of capitalist interests and the instruments for the repression of the subordinate classes.

These charges include: inequality between the rich and poor and the number of poor has increased with globalization; increases in the income gap between the rich and poor countries of the world; globalization undermines indigenous cultures, producing broadly homogeneous Western values and lifestyles in societies across the world; globalization has undermined the resolve and the ability of governments to regulate business in the public interest, to finance social safety nets, and, generally, to act as a counterweight to markets and rampant individualism; globalization has increased the exposure of national economies, including Canada’s, to developments abroad, thereby rendering the competitiveness of industries and the well-being of communities and workers more precarious than in the past.

Asymmetry here means that Canada is more dependent on the US economically than is the US on Canada. The table on page 542 shows this asymmetry. It shows, for example, that 75 per cent of Canada’s exports go to the US. By contrast, 19 per cent of the US’s exports go to Canada.

Aiming influence at the highest levels of the US government (i.e., the President and top personal advisors); secondly, tighter formal integration with the US.

Multilateralism “involves the resolution of international differences and conflicts through structures and processes that represent many states and that give all of them a voice, though not necessarily an equal voice, in decision-making.”

It can depart up to the point when serious and enduring consequences, beyond the loss of goodwill, would fall on Canada.

It involves international influence based on intangible or indirect factors that include culture, values, and a sense of legitimacy ascribed to a nation’s international aims. It operates through “the complex machinery of interdependence, rather than . . . expensive new weapons systems.”

The key differences between these two types of power are the soft power is based on co-option and engagement, while hard power is rooted in coercion and isolation. Examples of soft power include diplomacy and negotiations, while examples of hard power include military capacity and economic sanctions.

Brooks notes a number of prominent voices that have been critical of globalization: Donald Trump and Bernie Sanders in the leadup to the 2016 American election, anti-globalization protests at WTO, G8 and other global summits in Seattle (1999), Genoa (2001), Rostock (2007), Toronto (2010), and Hamburg (2017); the 2016 Brexit vote was also seen as a vote against globalization. These voices against globalization come from all different parts of the political spectrum.

Brooks defines globalization as “the historically unprecedented speed and scope of exchanges between different societies and regions of the world.”

There have been tensions in US-Canada relations at many points in these two countries’ histories. Examples listed by Brooks include in the early 1960s under Kennedy and Diefenbaker over NORAD and NATO obligations and the Cuban Missile Crisis, and in the early 2000s under Bush and Chrétien (and later Martin) over involvement – or lack thereof – in the Iraq War.

Dallaire says that he prefers to use the term ‘conflict resolution’ as opposed to peacekeeping, because often peacekeepers are coming into a country and attempting to resolve a conflict that is already occurring, rather than maintaining peace that has often not yet been achieved.

In your answer, be sure to note Joseph Nye’s comments on soft power. Economic data on those countries, such as GDP and GDP per capita, can be found to show how Canada compares to the other countries. You can research the foreign policies of those countries, including peacekeeping practices, to show the roles that they play in the world.

Key industries would include those that employ large numbers of workers, or that, for some reason, are seen to be very important employers, such as those that do a large amount of research and development, or export a significant portion of their output. To find out how much trade they do, you can simply interview top managers or check annual reports. Chambers of Commerce might also be helpful, as well as economics and business academics. In doing this research, try to determine what percentage of a firm’s output is exported to the US and other countries. You can also inquire about whether the businesses are subsidiaries of multinationals and why they do not do much exporting elsewhere.

Canada is a member of numerous organizations and any listing would have to include the UN, NATO, the WTO, IMF, World Bank, the Organization of American States, NORAD, NAFTA (CUSMA), the Asia-Pacific Economic Council, the Arctic Council, the Commonwealth, and la Francophonie. A review of their web sites would reveal the issues that they encounter.

To answer this question, select a historical example outlined by Brooks (i.e. the Spice Road) or conduct your own research to determine an example where globalization was present. Think about the ways that you are connected to other parts of the world, for example via social networking, flights to other countries, etc. The similarities and differences between historical and current examples will vary based on what examples you have selected, but may include the speed and distances travelled, the ease of travel, new technologies or vehicles, etc.

Answers will vary for this question based on which indicators you select to examine, and whether or not you believe Canada has been successful/effective in these areas. You may wish to conduct research into these areas, or more specifically into the Commitment to Development Index and its findings. Ensure that you support your positions with evidence from the textbook and/or from your own research.