Canada’s Security Policy After the Cold War: New Challenges of the 21st Century

Abstract

Canada has accumulated substantial potential and interesting experience in security sphere. Тhe article deals with the general conceptual approaches of Canadian elite toward security after the cold war well as real policy directions in this issue. First of all, it is necessary to say that the end of the cold war caused reconsideration of conceptual approaches to security as well as development of new power centers based not only on military force but also on so called “soft power”. In this context Canada is an indicative example: being a member of western privilege club, this country simultaneously possesses high authority in the Third World. As a result, the situation gives Ottawa a possibility to play a role of “middle power” which includes a mission of a certain mediator between post-industrial and developing countries. The end of the cold war created possibility to overcome certain ambivalence of Canadian foreign and security policy. New security concept stated in the document of Foreign Ministry and International Trade “Canada in the world” (1995) was based on a broad security approach proceeded from the rise c поп-military factors in global development. New developments connected with the rise of the globe terrorism threat have caused the creation of multi-level anti-terrorism system that included several governmental institutions. Among them one should mention the Integrated Threat Assessment Centre (ITAC) formed in October 2004. Canada also supported US non-proliferation efforts strengthening license am export control over radioactive materials and discussing a possibility to join Anti-Missile Defense System оthe United States. In the sphere of conflict resolution, Ottawa stressed on preventive socio-economic am political measures capable to eliminate or lessen preconditions of conflicts. In this context special attention was given to “failed states” as potential source of trouble. The appearance of new threats and challenges has made Canada to deepen and broader instruments and mechanisms of ensuring of national security. Analysis shows that Canada in general hold, on multi-level international approach based on of broach concept of security. It includes fighting international terrorism, nuclear proliferation, solution of regional conflicts etc. “New Cold war” brought by Russian aggression since 2014 has posted new challenges for Canada’s security policy causing the necessity for more active involvement into security on European continent. This circumstance requires serious upgrade of its basic conceptual approaches and certain return to the approaches based on more traditional (military) security.

Keywords

• Canada
• “soft power”
• security
• security policy
• “new cold war”