POLI 319 Lecture Notes - Lecture 2: North American Free Trade Agreement, Arctic Council, Unilateralism
13 May 2018
School
Department
Course
Professor
POLI 342
01.17.2018
REVIEW FROM LAST WEEK
International Environment
•Interactions between Canada & others
•always evolving, sometimes very quickly, like in the time
since the Cold war
•important factor: the level of institutionalism
•liberal politics → norms
Representative Government
•elections, being accountable to the public
•media watches the way the state governs
Governmental
•federalism
•ex. Quebec main sure its demands get through in
discussions of NAFTA
•lobbyists
THE INTERNATIONAL SETTING
(Important invariants)
1. CANADA’S NEIGHBOURHOOD /GEOGRAPHY
There are different levels of neighbourhood: could include
France & Greenland as neighbours, all US states. These
geo settings don’t change.
These conditions, especially with the US don’t change
because of our economic dependence on them.
Also, France and GB are neighbours in a sense for
historical reasons.
Another important neighbourhood: our Arctic
neighbours (us + Scandinavia) but the frozen waters
makes it hard.
Cultural & linguistic relationships are relevant: our Arctic
groups have ties with those of other nations.
2. GEOSTRATEGIC LOCATION
Canada, before the WWs, was something of an island. Its
participation in World Wars and help from the US has
changed that.
The Long Peace: from confederation and into 1900s,
until World Wars — absence of / distance from wars.
During WW2, Canada becomes somewhat in the way of
the US security. When the war moved from Europe
towards NA, US realizes its vulnerability. This causes the
beginning of the military relationship between US and
Can. because Can did not have the security to protect NA
without the help/involvement of US.
Kingston Dispensation (1953) : Roosevelt says “it will
not stand idly by etc.” and Can responds saying it will
take responsibility to protect itself from invasion
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Document Summary
International environment: interactions between canada & others, always evolving, sometimes very quickly, like in the time since the cold war, important factor: the level of institutionalism, liberal politics norms. Representative government: elections, being accountable to the public, media watches the way the state governs. Quebec main sure its demands get through in discussions of nafta: lobbyists. The international setting (important invariants: canada"s neighbourhood /geography. There are different levels of neighbourhood: could include. France & greenland as neighbours, all us states. These conditions, especially with the us don"t change because of our economic dependence on them. Also, france and gb are neighbours in a sense for historical reasons. Another important neighbourhood: our arctic neighbours (us + scandinavia) but the frozen waters makes it hard. Cultural & linguistic relationships are relevant: our arctic groups have ties with those of other nations: geostrategic location. Canada, before the wws, was something of an island.
