Separated by the world’s longest land border and engaging in over three billion dollars in trade daily, Canada and the United States share security concerns, cultural interests, and a history spanning more than 250 years. Alan Rock, former Canadian ambassador to the United States, has said that this special relationship represents “a bond that is beyond practical. It borders on mystical.” The rise of nativist sentiment, however, has raised concerns over preserving this relationship.
History Has Made Us Friends illuminates the nature and dynamics of Canada-US relations, examining their history, attributed meaning, and conceptualization. Contributors consider many angles and perspectives, including the impact of geopolitical change, to determine whether the relationship warrants the moniker “special.” They explore whether shared values and demographic similarities continue to cement the relationship, and if it still matters whether presidents and prime ministers get along.
While things look different today from when President Kennedy declared, “What unites us is far greater than what divides us,” History Has Made Us Friends argues that the Canada-US relationship – often narrowly understood or dismissed as a relic of the past – continues to be unique and resilient.
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- Montreal, CA
Table of Contents
- Cover 1
- History Has Made Us Friends 2
- Title 4
- Copyright 5
- Contents 6
- Tables and Figures 8
- Acknowledgments 10
- Introduction: A Special Relationship? 14
- Part One: Understanding the Canada–US Landscape 44
- 1 An Unexpected Shift: Canadians’ Views of the United States in the Era of Free Trade 46
- 2 Navigating the Canada–US Relationship 68
- 3 Polarity and the International Political System: Canada, the United States, and the Special Relationship 96
- Part Two: What Is So Special about the Canada–US Relationship? 116
- 4 Trump’s “American System” and Beyond: The Sources of Continuity in Contemporary Canada–US Trade Relations 118
- 5 What’s Love Got to Do with It? Presidents, Prime Ministers, and the Making of the Special Relationship 143
- 6 Brian Mulroney, Ronald Reagan, and the Politics of Friendship 175
- 7 Canadian Nationalism and the Canada–US Special Relationship 201
- 8 Quebec’s Relations with the US under Jean Charest: Building a Special Relationship 223
- Part Three: Cooperation and Conflict on the Canada–US Bilateral Agenda 242
- 9 The Specialness of the Canada–US Environmental Relationship: From Environmental Interdependence to Earth Systems Crisis 244
- 10 When Irish Eyes Are Smiling: Arctic Sovereignty and the Impact of Personal Diplomacy 267
- 11 Mirror, Mirror, on the Wall: AUKUS and the Question of a “Special” Canada–US Defence Relationship 288
- 12 The 49th Parallel: Balancing Cooperation with Sovereignty 309
- Contributors 334
- Index 340
