The Determinants of Canadian Foreign Policy

1
The Determinants of Canadian Foreign Policy

• An analysis of the factors that determine
  Canadas approach to foreign relations

2
The Determinants of Canadian Foreign Policy

• Location, Location, Location
• Economic Structure
• Alliances
• Power

3
Location

• Location is important because it determines
  Canadas
• Natural Resources. More to the point, location
  determines what natural resources we need from
  the rest of the world, and what the world needs
  from us.
• Our security interests based on our proximity to
  other nations (friendly and/or not so friendly).
  A nation with few boarders will obviously have a
  different foreign policy than a nation thats
  surrounded by many potential enemies.

4
Location

• Location also refers to where a nation ranks
  amongst other nations in the world.
• A nation like Canada ranks somewhere in the
  middle and therefore does not have the foreign
  policy burden of the United States or China.
• Location can also refer to a nations location
  vis-à-vis other world powers and its relationship
  with that power (e.g. Canadas low defence
  spending affected by its proximity to the United
  States

5
Economic Structure

• The structure of a nations economy (i.e. if it
  is a diversified economy with primary, secondary
  and tertiary industries) will affect how it
  conducts its foreign policy.
• For instance, the foreign policy of Canada (which
  has a developed diversified economy) will have a
  much greater scope and depth than the foreign
  policy of a nation whose economy is
  under-developed and un-diversified (e.g. a nation
  that has a single crop economy). More to the
  point, a nation that is developed will be less
  dependent on its neighbours and thus will have
  more independence in the formulation of its
  foreign policy.

6
Alliances

• If you have alliances than your foreign policy
  will carry more weight in international affairs
• (e.g. Canadas membership in NATO, la
  Francophonie, The Commonwealth, etc.)
• You will have greater sense of security which
  could impact you communicate with other nations
  and how they communicate with you.

7
Alliances

• However, alliances also bring with them an
  obligation to be a team player. As a result,
  alliances can have both a positive and negative
  impact on a nations foreign policy
• (e.g. Canadas NATO defence budget and
  obligations in Afghanistan).
• Alliances can restrict a nations freedom in the
  sense that they are hard to break (e.g. Canada
  leaving NATO, or the Commonwealth)
• Finally alliances determine a nations friends
  and enemies whether they consent or not. For
  instance, the enemy of the United States is Iran,
  so Iran by extension becomes Canadas enemy and
  vice-versa. Alliances have a massive impact on
  Canadas foreign Policy

8
Power

• Power is the ability of a person, group, or
  nation to get what it wants.
• In the case of governments, they can use soft
  power (e.g. persuasion), or hard power (e.g.
  military force)

9
Power

• Essentially, power is the ability of a state to
  do what it wants given the tools that it has at
  its disposal (e.g. economic, political, social,
  military, etc).
• When a nation such as Canada conducts its foreign
  policy it needs to decide how to play its
  cards that is, when to play them and how.
  Should Canada impose sanctions on Korea for its
  nuclear weapons programme? Should Canada impose
  sanctions against Iran? Does Canada have the
  power to translate foreign policy into meaningful
  change around the world? When? Why? Examples

10
Questions

• Should Canada impose sanctions on Korea for its
  nuclear weapons programme?
• Should Canada impose sanctions against Iran?
• Does Canada have the power to translate foreign
  policy into meaningful change around the world?
  When? Why? Examples?
• What is Canadas global reputation? Is our
  reputation threatened?
• What tools are at Canadas disposal to further
  its interests around the world?

11
Works Consulted

• Nossal, Kim Richard, The Politics of Canadian
  Foreign Policy. Scarborough, Prentice-Hall, 1989
• (All images enclosed taken from Google
  images)