The Puppet and the Puppeteer: The Canadian/American Defence Relationship and the Myth of Canadian Autonomy.

This paper examines the political consequences of Canada’s long-term military integration with the United States. We argue that the evolution into an integrated military ‘culture’ has led to a mindset in which the Canadian military views its interests as shared with those of the American military. In some circumstances, the Canadian military views the perceptions and desires of Canadian political leaders as a hindrance to the attaining of those interests. First, to proceed we establish a working understanding of the concept of American power. We suggest that while the United States continues to be a significant player, it is but one aspect of an increasingly globalized world that is generally (re)defined by the power and influence of the western form of hegemony that is best articulated by (but not exclusive to) the American state. As such, integration is a significant aspect of this world order; and thus of Canada/United States relations. Second, we argue that Canada has become a key component of American power. But the high degree of military integration comes with the risks of a loss of political control over the very coercive aspects of state power that are in place to protect the sovereignty of states themselves. Last, we argue that the Canadian military has redefined peace so as to, on the one hand, discredit missions of ‘peacekeeping’ as no longer relevant; and, on the other hand, so as to preserve and reinvigorate the image of the peacekeeper through the construction of the virtuous warrior engaged in the promotion of peace. This, we argue, means that while the Canadian military becomes more autonomous vis-à-vis the Canadian state, at the same time it makes the Canadian military less autonomous as it becomes an outpost of American military power. ..PAT.-Unpublished Manuscript [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]