Since the mid-1950s, successive Canadian governments have responded to US ballistic missile defence initiatives with fear and uncertainty. Officials have endlessly debated the implications – at home and abroad – of participation. Drawing on previously classified government documents and interviews with senior officials, James Fergusson offers the first full account of Canada’s unsure response to US initiatives. He reveals that factors such as weak leadership and a tendency to place uncertain and ill-defined notions of international peace and security before national defence have resulted in indecision. In the end, policy-makers have failed to transform the ballistic missile defence issue into an opportunity to define Canada’s strategic interests at home and on the world stage.

James G. Fergusson's profile page

James G. Fergusson is the director of the Centre for Defence and Security Studies and a professor in the Department of Political Studies at the University of Manitoba.

This book should serve as a “lessons learned” reference for our political and military leadership with respect to development of coherent strategic policies. It is also a very useful historical source for students and scholars of politics and history.

Canadian Military Journal, Vol 11, No 3

James Fergusson has followed ballistic missile defense and Canadian defense policy for decades, and his passion is reflected in this, the first history that treats these topics in a single volume.

CHOICE, Vol. 48, No. 09