The war in Afghanistan has been a major policy commitment and central undertaking of the Canadian state since 2001: Canada has been a leading force in the war, and has spent hundreds of millions of dollars on aid and reconstruction. After a decade of conflict, however, there is considerable debate about the efficacy of the mission, as well as calls to reassess Canada's role in the conflict. An authoritative and strongly analytical work, Empire's Ally provides a much-needed critical investigation into one of the most polarizing events of our time.
This collection draws on new primary evidence - including government documents, think tank and NGO reports, international media files, and interviews in Afghanistan - to provide context for Canadian foreign policy, to offer critical perspectives on the war itself, and to link the conflict to broader issues of political economy, international relations, and Canada's role on the world stage. Spanning academic and public debates, Empire's Ally opens a new line of argument on why the mission has entered a stage of crisis.
Author(s): Jerome Klassen; Greg Albo
Publisher: University of Toronto Press
Year: 2013
Language: English
Pages: 432
City: Toronto / Buffalo / London
Preface
Introduction: Empire, Afghanistan and Canadian Foreign Policy
Jerome Klassen (Massachusetts Institute of Technology)
Part One: Afghanistan, Empire and the ‘War on Terror’
Afghanistan and Empire - John W. Warnock (University of Regina)
A ‘Single War’: The Political Economy of Intervention in the Middle East and Central Asia - Adam Hanieh (University of London)
The Empire of Capital and the Latest Inning of the Great Game - Michael Skinner (York University)
Methods of Empire: State Building, Development, and War in Afghanistan - Jerome Klassen
Part Two: The Political Economy of Canadian Foreign Policy
From the Avro Arrow to Afghanistan: The Political Economy of Canadian Militarism - Paul Kellogg (Athabasca University)
Canada and the Third World: The Political Economy of Intervention - Todd Gordon (York University)
Fewer Illusions: Canadian Foreign Policy Since 2001 - Greg Albo (York University)
Part Three: Canada’s War in Afghanistan
Failed States and Canada’s 3D Policy in Afghanistan - Angela Joya (York University)
Building an Expeditionary Force for Democracy Promotion - Anthony Fenton (York University) and Jon Elmer
Incompatible Objectives: Counterinsurgency and Development in Afghanistan - Justin Podur (York University)
Canada’s Afghan Detainee Torture Scandal: How Stories of Torture Define the Nation - Sherene H. Razack (University of Toronto)
Part Four: The Anti-War Movement in Canada
Québec Solidaire and the Anti-War Movement - Benoit Renaud and Jessica Squires (Library and Archives Canada)
Bringing Ottawa’s Warmakers to Heel: The Anti-War Movement in Canada - Derrick O’Keefe (Canadian Peace Alliance)
Contributors
Index
