The Middle Power Project describes a defining period of Canadian and international history. During the Second World War, Canada transformed itself from British dominion to self-proclaimed middle power. It became an active, enthusiastic, and idealistic participant in the creation of one of the longest lasting global institutions of recent times – the United Nations. This was, in many historians’ opinions, the beginning of a golden age in Canadian diplomacy.

Chapnick suggests that the golden age may not have been so lustrous. During the UN negotiations, Canadian policymakers were more cautious than idealistic. The civil service was inexperienced and often internally divided. Canada’s significant contributions were generally limited to the much neglected economic and social fields. Nevertheless, creating the UN changed what it meant to be Canadian. Rightly or wrongly, from the establishment of the UN onwards, Canadians would see themselves as leading internationalists.

Based on materials not previously available to Canadian scholars, The Middle Power Project presents a critical reassessment of the traditional and widely accepted account of Canada’s role and interests in the formation of the United Nations. It will be be read carefully by historians and political scientists, and will be appreciated by general readers with an interest in Canadian and international history.

Adam Chapnick est directeur adjoint de l’éducation au Collège des Forces canadiennes et professeur agrégé des études de la défense au Collège militaire royal du Canada. Ses domaines de recherche comprennent l’histoire politique et la politique étrangère du Canada ainsi que l’enseignement et l’apprentissage. M. Chapnick est l’auteur de plusieurs ouvrages. M. Chapnick poursuit ses recherches sur l’histoire des expériences canadiennes au Conseil de sécurité des Nations Unies.

Adam Chapnick's profile page

• Short-listed, Dafoe Book Prize, J.W. Dafoe Foundation

Chapnick's focus on Canada's role in the founding of the United Nations (UN) in the final years of the Second World War is both unique and extremely valuable ... This book enhances our understanding of Canada's foreign relations in this formative period ... This is an impressive book, exhaustively researched and convincingly argued. It significantly revises our understanding of Canada's role in the creation of the United Nations and it should be an indispensable resource for anyone interested in Canadian history.

H-Canada

Chapnick's is a timely book ... [this] book offers an important critique of Canada's early contributions to the founding of the United Nations.

H-Net Book Review Online

This book provokes thought. The historical research is tremendously impressive. Having perpetrated a number of books on the UN, I am ashamed of how little I knew about Canada's early role therein. I am grateful to Adam Chapnick for teaching me how, why and where Canadian influence over the UN Charter can be discerned.

Literary Review of Canada