The Fight for a Principled Foreign Policy

Since the 2015 Canadian federal election, Canada has undergone a significant foreign policy shift. We have moved from a foreign policy based on Canadian values to a foreign policy based a particular (and somewhat suspect) reading of Canadian interests. "The Fight for a Principled Foreign Policy" is written by Garnett Genuis, an opposition Conservative MP who has repeatedly made the case for a return to Canada's historic principle-based foreign policy. Such a foreign policy, he contends, must also be grounded in strategy and in an appreciation for Canada's unique capacity to promote international human rights. Canada's foreign policy can be both uncompromising on key principles and strategic in its implementation. For the most part, this book is a collection of Genuis' speeches, with associated explanation and commentary. The speeches cover a wide range of specific topics, including Canada's withdrawal from the fight against Daesh/ISIS, Canada's response to Chinese human rights abuses, Canada's relationship with India and Pakistan, and the relationship between religion and foreign policy. While covering a variety of specific situations and hot spots, these speeches also shape a common narrative about the choice Canada faces. As a country, we can either draw on our own domestic human rights experience to fearlessly promote our values on the international stage, or we can compromise our values in order to pursue the acclaim of nations who do not share our values. Both paths will involve some cost, with regard to either short terms interests or longer term ideals. Genuis analyzes both sides of this choice, and argues passionately that the principle-based approach is the right way to go.