When Canada committed forces to the military mission in Afghanistan after September 11, 2001, little did Canadians foresee that they would be involved in a war-riven country for over a decade. The Politics of War explores how and why Canada’s Afghanistan mission became so politicized. Through analysis of the public record and interviews with officials, Boucher and Nossal show how the Canadian government sought to frame the engagement in Afghanistan as a “mission” rather than what it was – a war. This book analyzes the impact of political elites, Parliament, and public opinion on the conflict and demonstrates how much of Canada’s involvement was shaped by the vagaries of domestic politics.

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Kim Richard Nossal is a professor of political science at Queen’s University. He is a former president of the Canadian Political Science Association and former editor of International Journal. From 2001 to 2012, he was the chair of the academic selection committee of the Security and Defence Forum of the Department of National Defence. He is also the author of a number of works on Canada’s foreign and defence policy. He lives in Kingston, Ontario.

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• Short-listed, CPSA Prize in International Relations, Canadian Political Science Association

Although written by political scientists, this book is very accessible to students of the campaign in Afghanistan—whether they be academics, military personnel, or the general reader. It is highly recommended for the view of the “home game” it provides and as a reflection of the military “away game” being played out overseas.

Canadian Military History Journal, Vol. 28, No. 1