Book Review: North of America: Canadians and the American Century, 1945–60

Lobster Diplomacy: Nova Scotia and the Provincial Role in Canada-China Relations

This article concerns the increasingly significant role of subnational entities in international relations, using Nova Scotia's engagement with China as a case study. It highlights the period from 2010 to 2023, during which Nova Scotia leveraged its key export—lobsters—to establish and deepen economic and diplomatic ties with China, thereby carving out an influential role in the broader Canada-China relationship. The article provides an overview of subnational diplomacy's growing importance in international relations. The theoretical framework centres on subnational actors in global diplomacy and examines how Nova Scotia pursued independent diplomatic efforts with China, focusing on economic interests. The case study investigates lobster exports as the cornerstone of Nova Scotia-China relations, driving both economic benefits and diplomatic engagement. Finally, it touches on the economic outcomes for Nova Scotia and the political dynamics between federal and provincial authorities, concluding with broader implications for Canada's foreign policy and subnational actors in international diplomacy.

Editors’ Introduction

Book Review: The Insiders’ Game: How Elites Make War and Peace

No Further Options: Canada's Peacekeeping Efforts in Yugoslavia, 1991–1993

Drawing from archival records and secondary sources, this article examines the decisions that led Canada to undertake peacekeeping operations in former Yugoslavia, and how subsequent decisions influenced the course of those operations. It argues that despite the prevailing diplomatic and military conditions that Brian Mulroney's Progressive Conservative government knew about, and notwithstanding the volatile situation in Yugoslavia, Canada decided to commit peacekeepers to a mission that even then was quickly degenerating into a major regional war. The search for an international success led the federal government to disregard the complicating factors that ultimately created the conditions for the failure of Canada's mission. Mulroney's decision was an attempt to put a Progressive Conservative Party imprint on the liberal internationalism that defined twentieth-century Canadian foreign policy.

Tackling the Geopolitics of Standardization: Lessons from Canada's Strategic Foresight-to-Standards Pilot Project

Strategic foresight is the systematic exploration of emerging and future developments. Standardization is the process by which a common technical language is created and applied to new concepts and evolving technologies. Both strategic foresight and standardization address long-term technological change across industries, societies, and economies. And yet rarely are the two used in tandem to anticipate emerging standardization priorities that are critical to national interests. Against the backdrop of a global “technological race,” the foresight-to-standards process provides a novel approach to anticipate the nature of emerging technologies and their plausible influence on national, military, and economic interests, and to direct standardization efforts to align with strategic objectives. Our article provides an in-depth exploration of the Standards Council of Canada's experimentation with foresight between 2018 and 2021, informed by first-hand experience and observation. We describe and assess the SCC's use of strategic foresight in standardization, providing insights on capacity building, collaboration, leadership, decision making, and action.

Book Review: Jozef Pilsudski: Founding Father of Modern Poland

Book Review: United Nations Sanctions Regimes and Selective Security

Forum on Canada and the United Nations: Why Canada should marginalize the UN

The history and current workings of the United Nations suggest it is not an effective vehicle for the promotion of Canadian interests and values. As it has generally been, the Security Council is paralyzed by great power vetoes, while the General Assembly has an overwhelming majority that reliably votes against the West, and against Canada. The creation of the postwar liberal international order owed more to other multilateral organizations and groupings with which Canada is associated than the UN. In its core function of underwriting global security and stability, the UN has generally failed and often been irrelevant, with the crucial understandings reached between the great powers directly. In an age of increased international polarization, the UN will remain of only modest utility and Canada would be better advised to forward its values and interests primarily through other multilateral vehicles, working with like-minded states.

The Consequences of Electoral Uncertainty in Foreign Policy-Making: The Use of Diversionary Sanctions

This article sheds light on the consequences of electoral uncertainty, and specifically, its effects on leaders’ actions. When leaders run for re-election, they may be prone to take advantage of their power for electoral benefits. I hypothesize that while popular incumbents tend to avoid risky actions while nearing elections since their electoral prospects are already favourable, unpopular leaders are more likely to take risks in the hope of boosting their public support. I begin by analyzing approval volatility, estimating the extent of variation in approval rates in the absence of foreign policy actions. Utilizing a data set that links public opinion data with various foreign policy actions, I evaluate the anticipated changes in approval following threats, the use of force, and the imposition of economic sanctions. Tying these “rally-’round-the-flag” effects to pre-election periods, I find strong evidence for my hypotheses. The findings underscore the significant influence of domestic electoral considerations on foreign policy decisions.

International Journal