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Middle Power in the Middle East

Middle Power in the Middle East

Canada's Foreign and Defence Policies in a Changing Region

Edited by Thomas Juneau and Bessma Momani

Published by: University of Toronto Press

Imprint: University of Toronto Press

278 Pages, 152.00 × 229.00 × 14.00 mm, 3 b&w figures, 4 b&w tables

Paperback
9781487528454
Published: March 2022

£21.99

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Description
Contents
Authors
Praise

The Middle East has not, historically, been a first-order priority for Canadian foreign and defence policy. Most major Canadian decisions on the Middle East have come about through ad hoc decision-making rather than strategic necessity. Balancing international obligations with domestic goals, Canadian relations with this region try to find a balance between meeting alliance obligations and keeping domestic constituents content.

Middle Power in the Middle East delves into some of Canada’s key bilateral relations with the Middle East and explores the main themes in Canada’s regional presence: arms sales, human rights, defence capacity-building, and mediation. Contributors analyse the key drivers of Canada’s foreign and defence policies in the Middle East, including diplomatic relations with the United States, ideology, and domestic politics. Bringing together many of Canada’s foremost experts on Canada–Middle East relations, this collection provides a fresh perspective that is particularly timely and important following the Arab uprisings.

1. Introduction
Thomas Juneau and Bessma Momani

2. Sleeping Beside the Elephant: The U.S. and Canada’s Middle East policy
Farzan Sabet

3. Being a Reliable Ally in a Politicized War: Canada’s Fight Against the Islamic State
Justin Massie and Marco Munier

4. Capacity-Building and Training: Supporting Security Services in Iraq, Jordan, and the Palestinian Territories
Mike Fleet and Nizar Mohamad

5. Islamic State Foreign Fighters: Their Return and Canadian Responses
Amarnath Amarasingam and Stephanie Carvin

6. Humanitarian Foreign Policy and Refugees: Welcoming Syrians in Crisis
Nawroos Shibli

7. Supporting Civil Society: Jordan’s Changing Development Landscape
E.J. Karmel

8. Dealing with an Illiberal Democracy: Turkey’s Erdoğan Tests Bilateral Relations
Chris Kilford

9. Responding to Political Islam: Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood and Islam in Canada
Nermin Allam

10. Promoting Human Rights: Canada’s Confused Policies in the Middle East
David Petrasek

11. Selling Weapons: Saudi Arabia and the Trudeau Government’s Feminist Foreign Policy
Jennifer Pedersen

12. Supporting Mediation: Canada as Peacemaker in the Middle East
Peter Jones

13. Balancing Canada’s Role in the Arab-Israeli Peace Process
Costanza Musu

14. Navigating Ideology and Foreign Policy: Canadian Prime Ministers and Israel
Frédéric Boily

15. Conclusion
Nathan C. Funk

Thomas Juneau is an associate professor in the Graduate School of Public and International Affairs at the University of Ottawa.

Bessma Momani is a professor of political science and assistant vice-president at the University of Waterloo, a senior fellow at the Centre for International Governance Innovation (CIGI), and a non-resident fellow of the Arab Gulf States Institute.

"This collection nicely demonstrates how – and why – the Middle East continues to matter to Canadians."
- Kim Richard Nossal, Queen’s University (International Journal)