Canadian-Irish relations during the Second World War: The ascension of Canadian middle power diplomacy

Canada's evolution toward the new status of middle power during the Second World War is one of the main themes in the history of Canadian foreign relations. Evidence of this ascension is found usually in the relations between Canada and the Great Powers, in this country's formative role in the UN and NATO, and in our intervention in various Cold War crisis in the 1940s and 50s.;However, this thesis argues that the origins of an independent and middle power status really began within the British Commonwealth and within the difficult relations between the Irish Free State (Eire) and Great Britain from 1939-1945. Although other Commonwealth dominions like Canada, Australia and South Africa signed on as belligerents when the Second World War started, Eire--the closest dominion to Great Britain--chose to remain neutral. This created enormous problems for the British, given the geographic proximity of the island and it's strategic and diplomatic status.;The troubled nature of Anglo-Irish relations provided Canadian diplomacy with a unique opportunity to exert distinct foreign policy. As an independent trade partner and effective mediator, Canada promoted collective security, while serving it's own economic and international interests. Accordingly, Canadian-Irish relations and the role Canada played in mediating between Eire and the Great Power, including the USA, mark the first concrete example of Canada's emerging middle power status.