Chrétien and the World

Donald Wright speaks with Jack Cunningham about his book Chrétien and the World. Conventional wisdom holds that foreign policy was not a priority for Jean Chrétien over his ten years as Canadian prime minister. In reality, he and his government pursued an often ambitious, activist policy to forward not only national interests but liberal ideals on the world stage.

Chrétien and the World combines the perspectives of key players of the time with analyses by leading scholars. They draw on personal recollections, interviews, and research to portray a foreign policy that was more coherent and engaged than previously believed. As arguably Canada’s first post–Cold War prime minister, Chrétien responded to events that reshaped the international landscape, notably the 9/11 attacks on the United States, the subsequent war on terror, the US-led invasion of Iraq, and Canadian involvement in Afghanistan. Working with trusted ministers, he emphasized trade liberalization, strong bilateral and multilateral relations, human security, and humanitarian intervention. Often characterized as purely pragmatic, Chrétien’s tenure in fact marked a high point of liberal internationalism through an agenda that emphasized Canadian values and leadership in global affairs.

Jack Cunningham is the program coordinator at the Bill Graham Centre for Contemporary International History at the University of Toronto, where he is also a fellow and assistant professor at Trinity College. He is a former editor of International Journal and co-editor of Australia and Canada in Afghanistan: Perspectives on a Mission (with William Maley) and Australia, Canada, and Iraq: Perspectives on an Invasion (with Ramesh Thakur).

If you like our work, please consider supporting it: bit.ly/support_WTY. Your support contributes to the Champlain Society’s mission of opening new windows to directly explore and experience Canada’s past.

Image Credit: UBC Press