University of Victoria Summer 2013 Department of Political Science

POLI 346 Canadian Foreign Policy

Time: Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Fridays, 10:30-12:20

Location: Social Science and Math A110 Instructor: Dr. Richard Baker Office: TBA Telephone: TBA Office Hours: Tuesdays, 12:30-1:30; Email: rgbaker@uvic.ca Thursdays, 9:30-10:30 Course Overview: This course explores Canada’s involvement in global politics. However, rather than providing a purely descriptive account of the history of Canadian foreign policy, it conducts a critical analysis that interrogates the trends and activities that have come to define Canada’s international personality and the various forces and actors that have shaped Canada’s global engagement. The course begins by distinguishing between a state’s identity, interests and values and by exploring how these three concepts both interact with one another and condition a state’s international behaviour. We will also examine how scholars have understood Canada’s place in the world and how these conceptions impact on both the teaching and practice of Canadian foreign policy. With this conceptual framework in place, the course then sets out to explore two broad areas of study. With regard to the first area, we will examine a number of the key issues and themes that have come to define Canada’s role on the international stage. Thus, Canada’s national obsession with multilateralism, peacekeeping and human security will be examined. Other important themes will include Canada’s role in Afghanistan, international development and the Arctic. With regard to the second area of study, the course will focus attention on the major forces and actors that shape Canadian foreign policy. In this respect, we will explore the impact of governmental and societal pressures, provincial actors, questions of gender, the sway of ethnic groups and the overwhelming influence of the United States. Learning Objectives: By the conclusion of this course, you should have developed:

• a solid understanding of how questions of identity, interests and values impact on Canada’s international relations;

• an appreciation for the main actors and forces affecting the content and application of Canadian foreign policy;

• a critical awareness of recent and current trends in Canada’s global engagement; • the ability to analyze critically accounts of Canada’s involvement in global politics,

including those emerging from news sources, academia, think-tanks and government.

Course Format: While this course is built around a lecture format, class participation is encouraged and expected. Information presented during lectures will be drawn from a variety of sources and will frequently diverge from (and even contradict) the assigned readings. As such, it is crucial that you attend all lectures and take detailed notes. Mark Breakdown: Participation 10%

Geopolitical Analysis 15% Midterm Test 20% Research Essay 30% Final Exam 25%

Expectations: Participation (10%) – You are expected to engage critically with the material and share your reflections and interpretations through active participation in class discussion. The interactive dialogue that is fostered by class discussion forces all of us to actively think about the subject matter rather than just passively accepting it. Just as importantly, widely inclusive participation generates a diversity of perspectives, keeps the discussion lively and prevents domination by just one or two overly enthusiastic students. Although regular contribution is crucial, participation grades will be weighted more toward quality than quantity. With this in mind, your comments during class discussion should reflect your active engagement with the lectures and relevant readings, rather than a simple opinion on the topic at hand. Short Assignment (15%) – You are required to provide an analysis of a specific component of Canada’s geopolitical imagination and explore its implications for Canadian foreign (and perhaps domestic) policy. I will explain the concept of a geopolitical imagination early in the course and will provide a more detailed explanation of the expectations for this assignment in class. This assignment must be 4-5 pages in length. It is due in class on July 23. Midterm Test (20%) – The midterm will draw from both lectures and readings. In terms of format, the test will include both a short answer section, designed to evaluate your grasp of important concepts, and an essay section, designed to gauge your ability to critically assess and integrate information from the course. The midterm will be held in class on July 30. Research Essay (30%) – You are required to submit an argumentative research paper (10-12 pages) in which you explore a particular aspect of Canadian foreign policy. The range of possible topics is quite expansive. Among the possibilities available, students might examine Canada’s bilateral relationship with another country, Canada’s broad approach to a region, Canada's involvement in an important international issue or conflict, or perhaps Canada's commitment to an international treaty. It is crucial that you ensure your essay is not a purely descriptive piece. The paper must have a clearly defined thesis – pay special attention to this and ensure that your introduction is very clear in defining and explaining the argument your paper will make. You are strongly encouraged to discuss possible essay topics with the instructor early in the semester. The research essay is due in class on August 16.

Final Exam (25%) – The final exam will be a cumulative test, drawing on lectures and readings from the entire course. Although the test will cover material from the first half, it will be weighted more toward the second half. Like the midterm, the final will include both short answer and essay questions. The final will be held during the last class, on August 21. Readings: It is crucial that students complete all readings for each class. Not only will these readings provide a springboard for class lectures and discussion, they will also feature prominently in both the Midterm Test and Final Exam. The majority of readings can be found in the library’s electronic journals. The remaining readings can be found either on the Internet or on reserve in the library (see the readings marked with an * in the below list). Lecture Schedule and Weekly Readings: Tuesday, July 9 Course Introduction and Core Concepts

• No readings Wednesday, July 10 Interests, Values and Identities

• Nossal, Kim Richard. 2004. The World We Want? The Purposeful Confusion of Values, Goals and Interests in Canadian Foreign Policy. Canadian Defence and Foreign Affairs Institute.

* Available online: www.cdfai.org/PDF/The World We Want.pdf • Massie, Justin. 2009. “Making sense of Canada’s ‘irrational’ security policy: A tale of

three strategic cultures.” International Journal 64 (3): 625-645. Friday, July 12 Canada’s “Place” in Global Politics

• No readings Tuesday, July 16 Disciplining the Discipline

• Kirton, John. 2009. “The 10 Most Important Books on Canadian Foreign Policy.” International Journal 64 (2): 553-564.

• Turenne Sjolander, Claire and Heather Smith. 2010. “The Practice, Purpose, and Perils of List-Making: A Response to John Kirton’s ‘10 Most Important Books on Canadian Foreign Policy’.” International Journal 65 (3): 751-762.

• Smith, Heather. 2010. “Disciplining Nature of Canadian Foreign Policy.” In Canadian Foreign Policy in Critical Perspective, edited by J. Marshall Beier and Lana Wylie. Don Mills, ON: Oxford University Press.

* Available from the library reserve desk. Wednesday, July 17 Multilateralism

• Keating, Tom. 2010. “Multilateralism: Past Imperfect, Future Conditional.” Canadian Foreign Policy Journal 16 (2): 9-25.

Friday, July 19 Peacekeeping • Whitworth, Sandra. 2005. “Militarized Masculinities and the Politics of Peacekeeping:

The Canadian Case.” In Critical Security Studies in World Politics, edited by Ken Booth, 89-106, Boulder: Lynne Reiner.

* Available online: www.yorku.ca/sandraw/Whitworth in Booth 2005.pdf • Wagner, Eric. 2006/2007. “The Peaceable Kingdom? The National Myth of Canadian

Peacekeeping and the Cold War.” Canadian Military Journal 7 (4). * Available online: www.journal.forces.gc.ca/vo7/no4/wagner-eng.asp

Tuesday, July 23 Human Security • Axworthy, Lloyd. 1997. “Canada and Human Security: The Need for Leadership.”

International Journal 52 (2): 183-196. • Grayson, Kyle. 2004. “Branding ‘transformation’ in Canadian foreign policy: Human

Security.” Canadian Foreign Policy Journal 11 (2): 41-68. Wednesday, July 24 Development

• Walby, Kevin and Jeffrey Monoghan. 2011. “‘Haitian Paradox’ or Dark Side of the Security-Development Nexus? Canada’s Role in the Securitization of Haiti, 2004-2009.” Alternatives 36 (4): 273-287.

Friday, July 26 Afghanistan

• Jockel, Joseph T. and Joel J. Sokolsky. 2008. “Canada and the war in Afghanistan: NATO’s odd man steps forward.” Journal of Transatlantic Studies 6 (1): 100-115.

• Turenne Sjolander, Claire and Kathryn Trevenen. 2010. “Constructing Canadian Foreign Policy: Myths of Good International Citizens, Protectors, and the War in Afghanistan.” In Canadian Foreign Policy in Critical Perspective, edited by J. Marshall Beier and Lana Wylie. Don Mills, ON: Oxford University Press.

* Available from the library reserve desk.

Tuesday, July 30 Mid-Term Test Wednesday, July 31 Formal Machinery of Government

• No readings Friday, August 2 Diasporic Politics

• Granatstein, J. L. 2007. “Multiculturalism and Foreign Policy,” in Whose War is it? How Canada can Survive in the Post 9/11 World. Toronto: Harper Collins.

* Available from the library reserve desk. • Godwin, Matthew. 2012. “The War at Home: The 2009 Toronto Tamil Demonstrations.”

Canadian Foreign Policy Journal 18 (2): 164-180.

Tuesday, August 6 Indigeneity • Lackenbauer, Whitney and Andrew Cooper. 2007. “The Achilles heel of Canadian

international citizenship: Indigenous diplomacies and state responses.” Canadian Foreign Policy Journal 13 (3): 99-119.

• Simon, Mary. 2011. “Canadian Inuit: Where we have been and where are we going.” International Journal 66 (4) 879-891.

Wednesday, August 7 Arctic Issues

• Cornut, Jérémie. 2010. “Why and when we study the Arctic in Canada.” International Journal 65 (4): 943-953.

• Borgerson, Scott. 2008. “Arctic Meltdown.” Foreign Affairs 87 (2). • Ruel, Geneviève King. 2011. “The (Arctic) show must go on: Natural resource craze and

national identity in Arctic politics.” International Journal 66 (4): 825-833. Friday, August 9 Gender

• Croft. S. 2002. “Thobani speech prompts outpouring of support.” Herizons 15 (3): 6-7. • Thobani, S. 2002. “The speech that shook the country.” Herizons 15 (3): 18-21. • Thobani, S. 2003. “War and the politics of truth-making in Canada.” International

Journal of Qualitative Studies in Education 16 (3): 399-414. Tuesday, August 13 Societal Pressures: Democracy, NGOs and Political Parties

• McCormick, James. 2006. “Democratizing Canadian Foreign Policy.” Canadian Foreign Policy Journal 13 (1): 113-131.

• Bow, Brian. 2008/09. “Parties and partisanship in Canadian defence policy.” International Journal 64 (1): 67-88.

Wednesday, August 14 Provinces and Federalism

• Massie, Justin, Jean-Christophe Boucher and Stéphane Roussel. 2010. “Hijacking a Policy? Assessing Quebec’s ‘Undue’ Influence on Canada’s Afghan Policy.” American Review of Canadian Studies 40 (2): 259-275.

Friday, August 16 Canada-US Security Relations

• Barry, Donald and Duane Bratt. 2008. “Defence Against Help: Explaining Canada-US Security Relations.” American Review of Canadian Studies 38 (1): 63-89.

• Jones, David. T. 2012. “Open borders and closing threats.” International Journal 67 (2): 527-540.

• Harvey, Frank. 2012. “Closing borders and opening debate.” International Journal 67 (2): 541-550.

Tuesday, August 20 Canada-US Relations in Popular Culture

• No readings Wednesday, August 21 Final Exam

Important Dates: July 23 Geopolitical Analysis Due July 30 Midterm Test

August 6 Academic Drop Deadline August 16 Research Essay Due

August 21 Final Exam Grading System: Students will be assigned grades based on the following scale: 90-100% A+ Exceptional 85-89% A Outstanding 80-84% A- Excellent Normally achieved by a minority of students. These grades indicate a student who is self-initiating, exceeds expectation and has an insightful grasp of the subject matter. 77-79% B+ Very good 73-76% B Good 70-72% B- Solid Normally achieved by the largest number of students. These grades indicate a good grasp of the subject matter or excellent grasp in one area balanced with satisfactory grasp in the other area. 65-69% C+ Satisfactory 60-64% C Minimally satisfactory These grades indicate a satisfactory performance and knowledge of the subject matter. 50-59% D Marginal This grade indicates a superficial grasp of the subject matter. 0-49% F Unsatisfactory This grade indicates an unsatisfactory performance and a lack of knowledge of the subject matter. Written Assignments: Both written assignments require you to produce formal, academic essays. As such, each requires a concise thesis statement and precise and logical organization. Although content is the primary basis upon which papers will be graded, effective style and correct grammar and spelling are also very important. Papers should be typed and formatted with 1-inch margins, double-spacing, page numbers and a standard 12-point font (Times New Roman). Students are required to provide appropriate credit when using other authors’ material and must employ the Chicago Author-Date citation style. Your papers should be submitted during class on the day they are due. Late papers will be penalized one grade per day (for example, a B paper handed in three days late will be reduced to a C). If your paper is late due to personal or health issues, you must provide me with appropriate documentation in order to avoid late penalties.

Plagiarism and Academic Integrity (from the Teaching and Learning Centre): Academic integrity is intellectual honesty and responsibility for academic work that you submit individual or group work. It involves commitment to the values of honesty, trust, and responsibility. It is expected that students will respect these ethical values in all activities related to learning, teaching, research, and service. Therefore, plagiarism and other acts against academic integrity are serious academic offences. The responsibility of the institution - Instructors and academic units have the responsibility to ensure that standards of academic honesty are met. By doing so, the institution recognizes students for their hard work and assures them that other students do not have an unfair advantage through cheating on essays, exams, and projects. The responsibility of the student - Plagiarism sometimes occurs due to a misunderstanding regarding the rules of academic integrity, but it is the responsibility of the student to know them. If you are unsure about the standards for citations or for referencing your sources, ask your instructor. Depending on the severity of the case, penalties include a warning, a failing grade, a record on the student’s transcript, or a suspension. It is your responsibility to understand the University’s policy on academic integrity, which can be found on pages 33 and 34 of the undergraduate calendar. Global Awareness: Themes presented in the course will often be made relevant through examples drawn from current events. As such, you are required to keep aware of issues relating to Canadian foreign policy by consulting a variety of news sources on a regular basis. Such sources might include newspapers (e.g. Globe and Mail, National Post, Hill Times), relevant news magazines (e.g. Embassy, Macleans), television news programming (e.g. CBC, CTV) and reputable Internet news and blog sites.