Review: Canada among Nations 1999
| DOI | 10.1177/002070200005500116 |
| Published date | 01 March 2000 |
| Date | 01 March 2000 |
| Author | Joseph T. Jockel |
| Subject Matter | Review |
Reviews
ed
and
new challenges
suggest
less
need
for
large
nuclear
arsenals.
Still,
the
elimination
of
nuclear
weapons
remains
premature.
A
highly
fluid
and
uncertain
threat
environment
continues
to
demand
retention
of
nuclear
insurance
policies.
This
is
especially
important
in
light
of
the
growing
dangers posed
by
long-range
missiles
and
biological
weapons.
At
the
same
time,
existing
nuclear
commitments continue
to provide
some
of
the
'glue'
that
binds
European
and
North
American
defence
communities together.
Viewed
in
this
context,
a
number
of
recent
Canadian
calls
for
fur-
ther
nuclear
disarmament
may
be
overly
ambitious.
In
fact,
the
vol-
ume's
analysis
of
the
1998
Standing
Committee
report
on
the future
of
Canada's
nuclear weapons
policy
implies
just
that
-
with
the majority
of
submissions
by
witnesses characterized
as
reflecting
an
excessive
arms
control
and
disarmament
bias.
Such
observations
deserve serious
consideration
-
particularly
given
recent
setbacks
in
the
area
of
nuclear
non-proliferation.
Still,
a
number
of
important
topics
are
either
neglected
or
given
excessively
short
treat-
ment. While
sub-state
actors
are
mentioned,
there
is
little discussion
of
the
potential
threats that
they
may
pose vis-ý-vis
nuclear
weapons.
Treatment
of
the
role
of
international
norms
in
prohibiting
the
use
of
nuclear
arms
is
also
lacking. Beyond this, greater
attention
might
have
been
devoted to
'new
nuclear'
and
'near
nuclear'
nations
-
especially
in
view
of
their
likely
impact
on
the
calculations
of
their
nuclear
counter-
parts
in
the
West.
Overall,
however, the
volume
displays
sound and
balanced
analysis.
Indeed,
it offers
an
important
reminder
that
-
contrary
to
popular
opin-
ion
-
rumours
of
the
death
of
nuclear
deterrence
are
greatly exaggerated.
Peter
Gizewski,
Toronto
CANADA
AMONG
NATIONS
1999
A
big league
player?
Edited
by Fen
Osler
Hampson,
Michael
Hart,
and
Martin
Rudner
Don
Mills:
Oxford
University
Press
Canada,
1999,
xii,
273pp,
$26.95,
ISBN
0-19-541458-6
The
first
of
the
annual
Canada
Among
Nations
volumes,
a
project
of
the
Norman
Patterson
School
of
International
Affairs
at Carleton
University,
appeared
in
1985.
The
series
quickly
established
itself
as
essential
reading
on
current
Canadian
foreign
relations.
156
INTERNATIONAL
JOURNAL
Winter
1999-2000
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