Beyond the middle power model: Canada in a reshaping global order

Abstract

This article examines Canadian diplomacy in comparative perspective with respect to the middle power model. This model, although acting as the foundation for Canada’s role in the world for the post-1945 era, came under stress in the late 1990s. On the one hand, there was acceleration away from the fixed pattern of activity through a new mode of initiatives (such as on land mines and the International Criminal Court) with an extended range of like-minded actors. On the other hand, there was a backlash to this process of shape-shifting. Conservative critics contested, in particular, the manner in which the middle power model deviated from the ‘main game’ with a concentration on the bilateral relationship vis-à-vis the US. However, they also argued that the model allowed Canada to play below its weight with an emphasis on symbolism as opposed to delivery. The article concludes that, while there continue to be some echoes of the middle power legacy, Canada has moved beyond this model as a comprehensive guide for its diplomacy.

Keywords:

• Canada
• middle power
• global order
• like-mindedness
• diplomacy

Notes on contributor

Andrew F. Cooper is a professor at the Balsillie School of International Affairs and the Department of Political Science, University of Waterloo. He is also an associate senior fellow, Centre for Global Cooperation Research, Duisburg, Germany, and an associate research fellow at the UNU-CRIS (Institute on Comparative Regional Integration), Bruges, Belgium.

Notes

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