Forgotten Partnership at 20-Something

Published date01 December 2011
Date01 December 2011
DOI10.1177/002070201106600402
Subject MatterBlasts from the Past
| International Journal | Autumn 2011 | 1031 |
Greg Anderson is an assistant professor in the department of political science at the
University of Alberta and co-editor with Christopher Sands of Forgotten Partnership
Redux: Canada-US Relations in the 21st Century.
Greg Anderson
Forgotten Partnership
at 20-something
Just days after the terrorist attacks of 11 September 2001, President George
W. Bush gave one of the most important speeches of his presidency before
a joint session of congress, reshaping the trajectory of American foreign
policy. Seated in the upper deck of the house of representatives was British
Prime Minister Tony Blair, who had f‌lown across the Atlantic just to attend.
“America,” Bush declared, “has no truer friend than Great Britain. Once
again, we are joined together in a great cause.”
Cue the hand-wringing in Canada. Suddenly, the decades of shared
history that spawned the amorous clichés of thousands of speeches had been
turned on their head. What had become of Canada’s “special relationship”
with America? Canadians, after all, had taken in thousands of passengers
stranded when American airspace was closed on 9/11. What happened to
being each other’s best customer? What about all those trucks that cross
the Ambassador Bridge? Don’t we share the world’s longest undefended
border? What about the peaceful coexistence between elephants and mice?
BLASTS FROM THE PAST

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