Stephen Baker Administration And The Findings Of A Study Of The Security

In June1957, John G Diefenbaker, Canada’s Progressive Conservative Party leader, obtained the general election victory, with the banner of strengthening the traditional ties with the British Empire, and weakening the relationship with the United States. The general election also led to the end of the continuous22-year Liberal Party’s ruling. However, the Diefenbaker government followed the security policy of the St. Laurent Government, and approved the North American Air Defense Military Agreement in less than two months. The agreement granted an American military commander of NORAD, and brought the Canadian-American security, which was founded in August1940, into a more comprehensive, higher level of cooperation era. NORAD, which made America’s global strategic plan more integrated, was an important part of the U.S. Cold War strategy. NORAD, together with NATO and the US-Japan Security Alliance, was an important tool for the American government to contain the Soviet Union and seek hegemony in the world. However, this security strategy incurred strong criticism from the opposition parties and the people of Canada, which caused serious damages to the Diefenbaker government’s ruling foundation.Then the Diefenbaker government faced another challenge of a major military Arrow Project started from1954, which had obtained a significant progress till1957, but would face severe economic losses due to the Canadian financial difficulties, if the government continued to develop and produce the fighter. Diefenbaker argued that NORAD is sufficient to protect Canadian security interests, and not necessary to keep such a costly military projects. Moreover, the Soviet Union successfully developed intercontinental missile in1957. Arrow project lost its military function under Soviet long-range bombers. So he supported the introduction of cheaper Bomarc surface-to-air missiles to strengthen Canadian air defense system. However, this has also resulted in two serious consequences:First, Canada began to lose the ability of establish an independent national defense system. Second, it led to strengthen the introduction of advanced American weapons systems, due to foregoing building its own defense system, thus causing more dependent on the American security protection. The result is the Diefenbaker government must make more efforts to push forward the Canadian-American security relations.However, the termination of the Arrow project which was the hope of the national independence and self-esteem of in Canada caused two serious consequences:First, the Canada people’criticism of Diefenbaker government resulted in a confrontation between the government and the public, and the Diefenbaker government lost its ruling base because of the security decisions. Second, the Diefenbaker government made efforts to strengthen military production cooperation with the United States, and hoped to share the economic pie of the production sharing plan with the United States military production in order to cover the loss of the military-industry caused by termination of the Arrow project. However, the results also caused the Canada military system to be a vassal of the huge American military-industry, and invested Canada into the Security embrace of the United States.Greater crisis was that, due to the termination of the Arrow project, Canada was forced to introduce a lot of advanced weapons, which played normal weapon efficacy only by equipped with nuclear warheads or nuclear weapons. Moreover, the U.S. nuclear deterrence strategy demanded Canadian army either overseas or in North America to use these nuclear weapons. However, the Diefenbaker government, after it was strongly criticized by the public because of the two hugely controversial decisions, in order to show that he had not give up the pursuit of national sovereignty independence and territorial integrity, demonstrated his reluctance to follow the tendency of U.S. security policy in such events as the second Berlin crisis, Sky hawk military exercises, the Cuban missile crisis, which led to dissatisfaction from the Eisenhower administration and the Kennedy Government, and a serous rift of the Canada-US security relations.Kennedy Government was very wary of the Diefenbaker security policy independent tendency and thought of the Diefenbaker government performance in the Cuban missile crisis as the destruction of America’s Cold War strategy. Diefenbaker government hoped to be a little careful to introduce American nuclear weapons to avoid mistakes as NORAD and the termination of the Arrow project. However, the development of the international anti-nuclear movement since the mid-1950s formed a greater political forces in Canada, and the Canadian political parties appeared competition in the nuclear weapons position, coupled with a serious split in the ruling party on nuclear weapons policy. These elements led to Diefenbaker’s nuclear stance constantly rocking, and decision-making was repeatedly pushed back. The nuclear issue became major political issue of the Diefenbaker government and the main topic of the1963election. The Diefenbaker government’s delay in decision-making finally led to the result that the Kennedy Government lost confidence and patience to Diefenbaker government, because this delay was a serious threat to the global deployment of U.S. nuclear weapons and the Cold War strategy, and a serious challenge to American hegemony. Charles de Gaulle government’s challenge to the American hegemony in Europe and Canada’s rebellion occurred in North America made the Kennedy Government face the risk of complete rupture of the Western security Front. Kennedy took a policy of tolerance and patience toward challenges of Charles de Gaulle, but resolute means of repression to the Diefenbaker rebel. He took extreme measures to subvert the disobedient Diefenbaker government in the1963general election.The Pearson government accepted the nuclear weapons, and Canadian-American security relations came back to normal track of Canada under U.S. control. The United States also safely crossed over the most difficult period of the Cold War.Diefenbaker period was the most complex and the most turbulent period in the history of Canada-US security relationship. This dissertation helps to understand the process of the Canada-US security relationship. It is useful to explore the evolution of the international pattern during the peak period in the Cold War, expand the scope of the study of the post-war international relations history, and further deepen the study of international Cold War history.