Lessons From the Past?: Recent Canadian Diplomatic Memoirs

NOTE I. R.G. Collingwood, 111e Idea of History (London: Oxford University Press, 1956), 213, 214, 10-12. JOHN R. ROY JOHN DUDLEY McMaster Universiry Lessons From the Past? Recent Canadian Diplomatic Memoirs OUR MAN IN MOSCOW: A DIPLOMATS REFLECTIONS ON THE SOVIET UNION. Robert A.D. Ford. Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 1989. PAUL MARTIN: THE LONDON DIARIES 1975-1979. Edited and with an introduction by William R. Young. Ollawa: Universiry of Ollawa Press, 1989. RADICALMANDARIN: THE MEMOIRS OF ESCOTT REID. Escou Reid. Toronto: Universiry ofToronto Press, 1989. D!EFENBAKER'S WORLD:A POPUUST!N FOREIGN AFFAIRS. H. Basil Robinson. Toronto: Universiry ofToronto Press, 1989. "I'LL BE WITH YOU IN A MINUTE, MR. AMBASSADOR": THE EDUCATION OFA CANADIANDIPLOMATIN WASHINGTON. Allan Gotlieb. Toronto: UniversityofToronto Press, 1991. In the seven short years following the accessionofMikhail Gorbachev to power in 1985, the Soviet leader'schampioning ofthe policies ofglasnost and perestroika saw the dawning of a new age in international relations . Gorbachev's presenceas an observerat the summer 1991 G-7 summit meeting epitomized the truly novel and unpredictable developments ushered in by the "post-Cold War" era. The electrify ing events associated with the abortive coup d'etat in the USSR that same August, subsequently followed by Gorbachev's peaceful ouster from power, demonstrated how nebulous is that era's current shape. The repercussions flowing from the swift disintegration of the Soviet Journal ofCanadian Studies Vol. 27. No. J (A111011111e 1992 Foll) empire in Eastern Europe, as well as the break-upofthe Soviet Union itself, remain to be fully played out. Earlier, the war in the Persian Gulf further highlighted the state of flux in which the world now finds itself. The coalition formed between Western and Arab nations against Iraq, with the Soviet Union's overt blessing, seemed to suggest that anything is possible. The consequencesofthe war - the renaissanceoftheUnited Nations, the holding of Middle East peace talks, and the unequivocal replacement in the international relations system ofa bi-polarstructure by one based on American hegemony - have in effect created a tabula rasa upon which nationsmuststruggle to construct new foreign policies almost from scratch to deal with unprecedented and revolutionary transformations in global affairs. Canada, of course, is no exception. Ottawa finds itself compelled to carve out a niche for the country in the "new world order." The question, naturally, is what should that role be? There has certainly been no consensus at home, judging from the debates engendered by the anachronistic 1987 White Paper on Defence, the timing and level ofCanadian participation in theGulfWar, the announcement of the government's planned troop reductions in Europe, and the capabilities/commitments gap produced by expanded peacekeeping responsibilities. A re-evaluation of the foundations of Canadian foreign policy in light ofdrastically changed world conditions is already underway . As partofthis exercise it may be useful to examine the historical record, and several recently published memoirs and one diary help to do just that. The memoir/diary as an historical course must be approached cautiously. Why has the author written it? Does the author have an historicalagenda of hisor her own to advance? What ideological connt:ctions and politicalaffiliations, ifany, have coloured the author's impressionsofpast events? Bearing these important caveats in mind, it nevertheless remains true that the following books collectively touch on Canada's key international relationships, and in the process have much to say about those considerations which have guided the practice ofCanadian diplomacy in the past, and which 143 might yet serve as signposts in the future. OurMan in Moscowconsistsofobservations on theSoviet Union compiled by Robert A.D. Ford during21 years there as a diplomat (from 1946-80), the final 16 as Canadian Ambassador. The bookfurnishes insight into the murky world ofSovietdomestic politics and economics in addition to the equally mysterious realm of foreign policy. It also sheds lighton the enigma that is Sovietsociety from the perspective of people, other than politicians, with whom the author came into contact. As a poet, Ford had an entree to the Soviet cultural scene which otherdiplomats did not enjoy. This monograph, then, is primarily a record of Ford's personal reflections on the USSR's policies and problems in the postWorld War II period...