A special issue of the Journal of Transatlantic Studies devoted to the role of Canada in the transatlantic world is particularly appropriate in 2008. Not only does this year mark the 90th anniversary of the end of the First World War – a war in which the British Dominions, especially Canada, played a vital role and which contributed to the slow but sure development of a distinct Canadian national identity during the twentieth century; but also 2008 sees Canadians – mindful of the current conflict in Afghanistan and the growing number of Canadian casualties – engaged in a wide-ranging debate on the role of Canada in international affairs.
This special issue of the journal contains articles by Canadian scholars and policy-makers, based in Britain and the USA as well as Canada, who explore many of the main themes in transatlantic history and politics over the last 90 years and more, from the age of imperialism to the era of 9/11 and the ‘War on Terror’. The first three articles cover the first half of the twentieth century when Canada developed from a British Dominion to an important power in her own right, a founding member of the UN and NATO, albeit a ‘middle power’ compared with her great neighbour to the south.
Carman Miller begins by pointing out the significance of an even earlier conflict, the Boer War of 1899–1902, in framing Canada's contribution to the Great War. Greg Kennedy looks at the First World War and shows how Canada played a significant role, as part of the ‘North Atlantic Triangle’, in ameliorating the growing tensions between Britain and the USA caused by the British blockade in the first years of the war. Hector Mackenzie then examines an important outcome of Canada's major contribution to the Second World War – her economic power in the post-war period, not least in her relationship with Britain. The negotiation of the Anglo-Canadian wheat agreement of 1946 is a case study of larger themes at the end of one era and the beginning of another.
The last three articles are primarily concerned with Canada's role in international affairs since the Second World War. David Pratt argues that it is possible to discern a Canadian grand strategy that was first enunciated during the early years of the Cold War and that such a strategy should continue to guide Canadian policy-makers today. David Haglund focuses on Quebec – which no collection of essays on Canadian foreign policy can ignore – and explores possible links with anti-Americanism in France. Finally, Joel Sokolsky and Joseph Jockel examine the current conflict in Afghanistan in the context of Canada's position within NATO.
As guest editor of this issue I would like to thank all of the contributors for sharing their scholarship so generously with readers of the journal and, of course, the anonymous referees for adding polish and advice where necessary. Above all, I would like to thank Alan Dobson, the editor of the Journal of Transatlantic Studies and the founder of the Transatlantic Studies Association, for agreeing to make the first issue of the journal published by Routledge a special Canadian issue and for his support and encouragement throughout.
Note on Guest Editor
Tony McCulloch is Director of Canadian Studies and Head of History and American Studies at Canterbury Christ Church University. He is also a member of the Council of the British Association for Canadian Studies and Chair of the BACS History Group, in which capacity he organises an annual conference at Canada House on the theme of War and Peace in Canadian History. His Canadian research interests include the career of William Lyon Mackenzie King and the concept of the North Atlantic Triangle.