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Derek H. Burney and Fen Osler Hampson were on CBC News’ Power and Politics yesterday for an exclusive interview with Evan Solomon to discuss their new book, Brave New Canada.
In Brave New Canada, Burney and Hampson identify the key trends that are reshaping the world’s geopolitics and economics and discuss the challenges Canada confronts with the rise of China and other global centres of power.
Their examination of a wide range of themes – including the place of pluralistic democratic values in diplomacy, economics, and trade, the ways that Canada should reset relations with its neighbour to the south, as well as how to manage new global security threats – paints a picture of how Canada can become bold, assertive, and confident and easily adjust to a new global landscape.
The following is from an adapted book excerpt that was published in the National Post yesterday, under the title “Breaking out of our North American cocoon”:
On Canada Day, 2013, Prime Minister Stephen Harper described this country as a “land of hope in a sea of uncertainty.” Indeed, there is much in the world that prompts deep concern: a sluggish jobless recovery following the fiscal crisis that paralyzed many Western economies; the Arab Spring and unpredictable risks posed by Islamic extremists; the spectacular rise of China economically and potentially politically as well; new instabilities on the borders of Europe as Vladimir Putin’s “New Russia” flexes its military muscles and challenges the territorial status quo; the spectre of a nuclear Iran even as arms-control talks continue; the unravelling of Afghanistan and Iraq after huge military engagements in each; and the daunting challenge of attacks on liberty from cyberspace. America’s capacity and inclination for global leadership are waning. Sharp political divides on the home-front undermine consensus on domestic and foreign policy. U.S. military prowess remains in a class of its own, but 21st-century security threats, whether from terrorists on the ground or from cyberspace, cannot be stopped by massive military assaults.
Global institutions are not responding effectively to the need for greater certainty and stability. It is a multi-polar world at best, but increasingly a G-zero world, in which self-interest is the prime motivator. Noble concepts of multilateralism — the traditional lynchpin for middle powers like Canada — need to be recalibrated for this new world.
In this environment, Canada is one of the few countries for which the opportunities are more apparent than the risks, and we cannot afford to lag behind. We need to adapt nimbly to reap the benefits of the global transformation, using our comparative advantages as leverage to enhance a broader network of global relationships.
Brave New Canada: Top 5 Challenges in a Changing World
To learn more about Brave New Canada, click here.
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