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The Politics of Canadian Foreign Policy, 4th Edition, by Kim Richard Nossal, Stéphane Roussel and Stéphane Paquin

Document Cited in Related
Vincent
Published date01 September 2017
DOI10.1177/0020702017723338
AuthorChristopher J. Kukucha
Date01 September 2017
Subject MatterBook Reviews
SG-IJXJ-72-03-BR 424..439 426
International Journal 72(3)
which was protected by the American nuclear umbrella, as unsympathetic to its
geopolitical security issues. India’s primary concern was its immediate neighbour-
hood, particularly in the aftermath of its regional wars with Pakistan and China in
1949, 1962, and 1965. This became apparent in the Indo-Pakistani war of 1971,
when then-prime minister Indira Gandhi visited Canada and the United States
seeking help with the Bengal refugee crisis. It became clear to India that Canada
and the rest of the West could not be counted upon in the case of a future conf‌lict.
Touhey’s book ends with the large wedge that was driven between Canada and
India after the latter’s 1974 nuclear test. Despite thirty years of limited engagement in
the bilateral relationship, India has recently re-emerged as a priority for Canadian
foreign policy-makers. But there are striking similarities between now and sixty years
ago: Canada–India trade is minimal, promises made to improve cooperation remain
unfulf‌illed, and there is very little military or strategic need between the two countries.
Despite this, there may be a better chance for improving bilateral relations now
than at any time in the past. Unrealistic expectations no longer dominate the narrative
between the two countries, and Canada and India have much more clarity about their
roles and identity on the international stage. Furthermore, the players that dominate
the foreign policy space have changed. Canada–India relations will no longer be about
personality clashes between the Trudeau and Nehru dynasties; instead, business,
immigration, the environment, and investment now dominate the dynamic. It is no
longer a story of the centre, but a conversation between cities and provinces, diaspora,
cultural leaders, and business interests. A new golden age is perhaps yet to come.
Readers will f‌ind very little to complain about in this book, which will stand as
one of the f‌inest studies within the Canadian foreign...

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