| Publication |
2005.
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| Summary/Abstract |
In February 2005 Canadian Prime Minister Paul Martin announced that his government would not partner with the United States on continental missile defence, confounding growing anticipation of imminent Canadian involvement. Predicated on the dominance of economic concerns underscored by a general sense of deteriorating Canada-American relations, these erstwhile expectations discounted the weight of a popular outlook influenced by deeply held identity commitments, something the minority Martin government could ill afford to do. Analysis of identity as a key determinant of Canadian policy in this instance is revealing not only of the sources of the decision taken on missile defence, but also of the centrality of identity performance to Canada's ability to successfully enact its international diplomacies. On these terms, it also finds non-participation in continental missile defence to be well recommended by broader Canadian interests.
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