A two-edged sword: The navy as an instrument of Canadian foreign policy, by Nicholas Tracy
| Author | Kit Kirkland |
| Published date | 01 December 2013 |
| Date | 01 December 2013 |
| DOI | 10.1177/0020702013510130 |
| Subject Matter | Book Reviews |
Washington’s intent to replace London at the apex of the world economy made
Keynes’s job unenviable and explains why his concept of an International Currency
Union, while likely superior to White’s vision of an International Monetary Fund
and World Bank, was politically untenable. In the end, White effectively outclassed
Keynes, manoeuvring the British delegation into signing on to a global monetary
system in which the American dollar, backed by gold, became the new standard.
Steil’s book is essential reading for students of multilateralism, diplomacy, and
international economic relations. It is an effective synthesis of the economic dip-
lomacy that led up to Bretton Woods, from the Atlantic Charter to the end of lend-
lease. It is also an excellent overview of the behind-the-scenes machinations that
caused Britain to agree to the final document that placed America, and the dollar,
at the top of the global financial pyramid. On a lesser level of analytic importance,
but of primary interest to most readers (this reviewer included), it is a fascinating
and nuanced glimpse into the psychology of Second World War era economic
espionage.
The question that lies at the heart of the detective story around which the nar-
rative revolves is, how could a man outmanoeuvre Keynes and work tirelessly to
create the institutional frame for American economic supremacy while passing
sensitive economic information to the Soviet Union? Steil has unearthed an arch-
ival document that seems to suggest that White considered beating the Brits at their
own game one thing, and admiring an alternative economic system quite another.
On a continuum between colonialism and communism, he considered the US to be
somewhere in between, neither embracing the excesses of Old Europe nor fully
appreciating the elegance of the Leninist fusion of theory, method, and outcome
that enchanted many of the interwar intelligentsia.
White privileged global economic stability over the march of socialist revolution
as an end in and of itself. This may explain why informers questioned his commit-
ment to socialism—calling him instead a fellow traveller—even though he was
considered one of the most important agents on the Soviet payroll. Through
Steil, White becomes a man of his time, frustrated by decades of violent political
upheaval and in pursuit of a grand vision for global stability.
Nicholas Tracy
A two-edged sword: The navy as an instrument of Canadian foreign policy
Montreal & Kingston: McGill-Queen’s University Press, 2012. 496pp., $49.95 (hardcover)
ISBN 978-0-7735-4051-4
Reviewed by: Kit Kirkland, University of St. Andrews
Nicholas Tracy’s comprehensive and thoroughly researched book, A Two-edged
Sword: The Navy as an Instrument of Canadian Foreign Policy, appeals to two
audiences: readers of naval history, because of its focus on the actions of the
Royal Canadian Navy from its autonomy in 1910 until the present day, and readers
concerned with the navy’s role in Canadian international relations. Of particular
656 International Journal 68(4)
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