Baloo
Full Member
- Reaction score
- 6
- Points
- 330
From the author that brought us "Who Killed the Canadian Military?" and "Canada's Army: Waging War and Keeping the Peace" comes his latest book, "Whose War Is It?". Published in 2007, it contains many modern and current examples of policy within the nation, from past governments to ideas being put forward by the current government under Stephen Harper. The main premise of the book surrounds the concept of 'national interests', or to be more precise, the seeming lack of such things that drive foreign policy and defence spending in Canada. Granatstein, through a wide variety of subjects, contests that ideal and moralist policy cannot be the propulsion for Canadian actions taken in the world, and more adherence to realpolitik (tempered by a sense of ethical judgment of course, a balance is always necessary). While the book is not nearly as substantial in content as "Canada's Army," the 230 or so pages do his arguments justice. With just around a couple dozen pages left, I haven't been able to put it down since I purchased it the other day, when I'm not busy.
Opening the book with a fiction, but entirely possible, double-whammy of a natural disaster and terrorist attack taking place in the very near future. It isn't based on intelligence reports, conspiracy theories or as such, but is meant to serve as an illustration of the failings will have experience via its cuts and ignorance of military spending in the past decades. With substantial amounts of troops in Afghanistan, the west coast navy on maneuvers or in the Persian Gulf, ports in British Columbia knocked out by the earthquake, American aid and air transport being used in Oregon and Washington State (from the same disaster), an inability to gain Ukrainian or Russian aircraft for aid, and anti-Muslim backlashes and riots in Toronto and Montreal, the author contends that the Canadian Forces are severely inequipped to deal with both its commitments abroad and to domestic emergencies on the home front, at any reasonable length of time.
From there, he sets the tone for the rest of the book. In subsequent chapters, he assaults the 'myths' of peacekeeping: the very notion and its actual effect where it has been attempted, in addition to confronting those who would see it as Canada's 'traditional' role. In another area of the book, he presses the issue of being able to effectually deal with the Americans and the Pentagon, rather than pandering to anti-Americanism, or utilizing supposed 'multilateralism' as reasons for our foreign policy, rather than looking to actual Canadian interests; again, he takes a more realistic look at the world, rather than how it 'ought' to be. Granatstein takes a hard look at the issue of Arctic sovereignty, and the need to police our own backyard, should we be so inclined to be interested in retaining the North-West Passage as our own and forcing the world to recognize our claims. He attacks the seeming culture of pacifism and anti-militarism in the province of Quebec, when compared to the rest of the country, how to counter its influence (in such ways as Louis St. Laurent did with Korea and NATO, when confronted by the issue), and the trouble that has become associated with Canadian multiculturalism (divided communities, divided loyalties, supporting terrorist organizations, etc.).
Basically, Granatstein attempts to shine a light on some of the things Canadian take to heart at face value, and in my opinion, this book should be required reading for all Canadians. Whether or not you agree with all of his views, and he has many, many of his thoughts are certainly right on the mark. He's no fan of Jack Layton, the former governments of Jean Chretien or Paul Martin, and does not devote unnecessary praise to any political ideology when it has been proven wrong according to the idea of 'national interests'.
Anyone interested in Canadian politics and its standing in the international community should give this book a second look, and pick it up is possible.
Opening the book with a fiction, but entirely possible, double-whammy of a natural disaster and terrorist attack taking place in the very near future. It isn't based on intelligence reports, conspiracy theories or as such, but is meant to serve as an illustration of the failings will have experience via its cuts and ignorance of military spending in the past decades. With substantial amounts of troops in Afghanistan, the west coast navy on maneuvers or in the Persian Gulf, ports in British Columbia knocked out by the earthquake, American aid and air transport being used in Oregon and Washington State (from the same disaster), an inability to gain Ukrainian or Russian aircraft for aid, and anti-Muslim backlashes and riots in Toronto and Montreal, the author contends that the Canadian Forces are severely inequipped to deal with both its commitments abroad and to domestic emergencies on the home front, at any reasonable length of time.
From there, he sets the tone for the rest of the book. In subsequent chapters, he assaults the 'myths' of peacekeeping: the very notion and its actual effect where it has been attempted, in addition to confronting those who would see it as Canada's 'traditional' role. In another area of the book, he presses the issue of being able to effectually deal with the Americans and the Pentagon, rather than pandering to anti-Americanism, or utilizing supposed 'multilateralism' as reasons for our foreign policy, rather than looking to actual Canadian interests; again, he takes a more realistic look at the world, rather than how it 'ought' to be. Granatstein takes a hard look at the issue of Arctic sovereignty, and the need to police our own backyard, should we be so inclined to be interested in retaining the North-West Passage as our own and forcing the world to recognize our claims. He attacks the seeming culture of pacifism and anti-militarism in the province of Quebec, when compared to the rest of the country, how to counter its influence (in such ways as Louis St. Laurent did with Korea and NATO, when confronted by the issue), and the trouble that has become associated with Canadian multiculturalism (divided communities, divided loyalties, supporting terrorist organizations, etc.).
Basically, Granatstein attempts to shine a light on some of the things Canadian take to heart at face value, and in my opinion, this book should be required reading for all Canadians. Whether or not you agree with all of his views, and he has many, many of his thoughts are certainly right on the mark. He's no fan of Jack Layton, the former governments of Jean Chretien or Paul Martin, and does not devote unnecessary praise to any political ideology when it has been proven wrong according to the idea of 'national interests'.
Anyone interested in Canadian politics and its standing in the international community should give this book a second look, and pick it up is possible.
