Joining Empire

The Political Economy of the New Canadian Foreign Policy

by Jerome Klassen

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Pub Date Aug 26 2014 | Archive Date Sep 16 2014

Description

A fresh assessment of the neoliberal political economy behind Canadian foreign policy from Afghanistan to Haiti, Joining Empire establishes Jerome Klassen as one of the most astute analysts of contemporary Canadian foreign policy and its relationship to US global power. Using empirical data on production, trade, investment, profits, and foreign ownership in Canada, as well as a new analysis of the overlap among the boards of directors of the top 250 firms in Canada and the top 500 firms worldwide, Klassen argues that it is the increasing integration of Canadian businesses into the global economy that drives Canada’s new, more aggressive, foreign policy.

Using government documents, think tank studies, media reports, and interviews with business leaders from across Canada, Klassen outlines recent systematic changes in Canadian diplomatic and military policy and connects them with the rise of a new transnational capitalist class. Joining Empire is sure to become a classic of Canadian political economy.

JEROME KLASSSEN is a postdoctoral research fellow with the International Development Studies Program at Saint Mary’s University.

A fresh assessment of the neoliberal political economy behind Canadian foreign policy from Afghanistan to Haiti, Joining Empire establishes Jerome Klassen as one of the most astute analysts of...

Advance Praise

“With a far-reaching and insightful analysis of a rich array of comparative evidence, and a careful critical analysis of the literature, Klassen shows persuasively that there has been no ‘hollowing out of corporate Canada,’ as commonly alleged, but rather reconstruction of Canadian capital within a more general process of elite reproduction in North America. Of particular interest is Klassen’s penetrating review of social movements that are seeking to come to grips with these processes and shape a more humane and just future. A very significant study, with implications far beyond the important and revealing case of Canada.”

Noam Chomsky, Department of Linguistics and Philosophy, Massachusetts Institute of Technology

“Joining Empire makes a major contribution to the analysis of recent changes in Canadian class formation. Jerome Klassen’s empirical research is extremely impressive, and he displays a deep knowledge of the literature on both Canadian political economy and Canadian foreign policy.”

Laura Macdonald, Institute of Political Economy, Carleton University