Two Freedoms

The Hill Times: Best Books of 2016

A bold call for a Canadian foreign policy that advances the basic freedoms that enable peace, stability, development, and security.


What ends should a democratic country’s foreign policy serve? Avoiding diplomatic disputes? Keeping allies happy? Promoting national and global security? While a qualified yes is the logical answer to all of these secondary questions, Two Freedoms argues for something more, something that reflects Canada’s commitment, at home and abroad, to the two key freedoms: freedom from want and freedom from fear.

Two Freedoms examines the costs of allowing these freedoms to die or diminish and at how a country can design a foreign policy that makes the pursuit of these freedoms real and practical. To design a genuine foreign policy of purpose and substance, a country must look at what it would mean for its diplomats, its military, its development aid, and its relations with important multilateral organizations like the U.N. To achieve a goal, a foreign policy needs good strategy, tactics, and design. These key elements are all found in Two Freedoms.