Canadian imperialism into the twenty-first century: capitalism, sovereignty and the challenges of multipolarity
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Date
2023-08-23
Authors
Devlin, Brendan
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Abstract
This thesis argues that in the post-Cold War period, Canadian foreign policy has pursued neoliberal transformation around the world while undermining international norms of sovereignty, with the overriding goal of facilitating the international expansion of Canadian capital. Despite considerable success, this project is being undermined by the forces driving the emergence of a multipolar world.
This thesis begins by critically engaging left nationalist accounts of Canadian capitalism’s development in the post-Confederation period, as well as their critics. While the former seemed to discount imperialism within and beyond Canada’s borders as a foundation of Canadian capitalism, their critics’ conception of Canada’s relationship with imperialism also suffers from some important weaknesses. Against this theoretical backdrop, this thesis analyzes the class forces driving Canada’s transition to continental neoliberalism in the wake of the crises of the 1970s and reconsiders its implications for Canadian sovereignty in light of Canada’s shift toward negotiating modern treaties with Indigenous peoples. In the post-Cold War period, the thesis argues that Canada foreign policy became increasingly dedicated to facilitating the international expansion of Canadian capital through the pursuit of neoliberal transformation around the world. The driving forces of this shift and some of the concrete changes in Canadian foreign policy are examined. Next, the thesis looks at Canada’s leading role in developing the ideology of and normalizing the practice of humanitarian intervention, with reference to the Responsibility to Protect doctrine and its application in the 2004 coup d’état in Haiti. The thesis ends by considers the challenges facing Canada’s imperialist project of aggressively pursuing neoliberal transformation around the world by analyzing the contradictions of Canada’s bilateral relations with the People’s Republic of China.
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Keywords
canada, capitalism, imperialism, sovereignty