Aronsen draws on recently declassified documents in Ottawa and Washington to provide a reassessment of Canada's special relationship with the U.S. Toward this end, detailed new information is provided about Canada's contribution to the creation of the postwar economic order from the Bretton Woods Agreement to GATT. Canada's cooperation was rewarded by special economic concessions including the extension of the Hyde Park agreement in 1945, the inclusion of the off-shore purchases clause to the Marshall Plan, and Article II of the NATO Treaty. After the outbreak of the Korean War, Canada's resources played a crucial role in the production of weapons systems for the new air/atomic strategic doctrine. Several policies were adopted to facilitate the expansion of Canadian defense production, notably the relaxation of regulations on technology transfer; the encouragement of private sector investment; and the negotiation of long-term contracts at above-market prices. In the midst of these unprecendented peacetime developments Time Magazine observed that Canada had become America's Indispensable Ally.

Canada's role on the world stage has increased dramatically since the middle of the twentieth century. Once an offshoot of England, we have grown to become a recognized voice internationally. Canadian Foreign Policy: 1945-2000 is a collection of key documents and speeches tracing the evolution of Canadian foreign policy since 1945. It highlights Canada's role in the great international events of the last century from the beginnings of the United Nations through the birth of NATO, the origins of Peacekeeping, Canada's participation in the Korean War, and our involvement in the International Control Commissions in Indo-China. The collection also shows Canada's role and influence in the Far East, from the creation of the Colombo Plan, to the recognition of the People's Republic of China, to our relations with Japan and the APEC countries. As well, the volume looks at disarmament, nuclear affairs, the growing influence of the provinces in foreign policy, relations with France, and the birth and impact of NAFTA. Canada's participation in the founding of the G-20 group of nations and the effect on world economic trends in the twenty-first century round out the story.