The Politics of Linkage

Power, Interdependence, and Ideas in Canada-US Relations

Do Canada and the United States share a special relationship, or is this just a face-saving myth, masking dependency and domination? The Politics of Linkage cuts through the rhetoric that clouds this debate by offering detailed accounts of four major bilateral disputes. It shows that the United States has not made coercive linkages between issues. In the early Cold War years, the exercise of American power over Canada was held in check by a genuinely special diplomatic culture but since then has been held back only by interest groups and institutions. This revisionist account of Canada-US relations is essential reading for anyone interested in Canadian politics, American foreign policy, or international diplomacy.

The question of control over nuclear weapons was an especially sensitive issue
for the United States in the early 1960s, particularly after the Cuban Missile Crisis
in October 1962 and the cancellation of the Skybolt missile program in ...