2020/08/12 by Wilfrid Greaves · 1 voice
Social Sciences · #Canadian Policy and Governance #International Relations and Foreign Policy #Military and Defense Studies
paper · doi:10.1017/s0008423920000542
openalex publication_date 2020/08/12 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/05/21
Abstract This article examines Canada-US relations through their shared membership in a pluralistic security community (PSC). While the bilateral relationship has been turbulent for decades, the Trump presidency has damaged the Canada-US PSC by (1) exacerbating a decades-long trend of weakened shared identity and mutual trust between Canadians and Americans, and (2) undermining the democratic norms and institutions that uphold American domestic stability and Canadians’ expectations of peaceful change. Assessing the combined implications of the decline in shared identity, mutual trust and democratic stability, I argue that the Canada-US PSC cannot endure if the United States does not also consider Canada's national and security interests or if the United States itself poses a threat to those interests. Given current trends, the future absence of war in North America may reflect American domination over a weaker and dependent Canada rather than their continued membership in a bilateral PSC.