The Call of the World
A Political Memoir
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- USD 32.99
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- USD 32.99
Descripción editorial
The Call of the World takes us on an unprecedented behind-the-scenes tour of defining moments in recent global history. Bill Graham – Canada’s minister of foreign affairs and then its minister of defence in the tumultuous years following 9/11 – is an insightful and wryly humorous guide, steering readers through an astonishing array of national and international events, explaining important geopolitical relationships, and revealing the human side of global affairs through his deft portraits of world leaders.
An engaging storyteller, Graham offers personal reflections as well as a riveting account of his years in office. He recalls his fortunate childhood in Vancouver and reflects on his time working as an international lawyer in Paris, as a backbencher in Ottawa, and as a cabinet minister during the Chrétien-Martin years. While his political career took him around the world, he remained a devoted champion of his constituents in his riding of Toronto Centre.
During his time as a member of Parliament, Graham was a passionate promoter of bilingualism and an early advocate for gay and lesbian rights. He is perhaps best known, though, for his role in keeping Canada out of the 2003 invasion of Iraq, for his work in rebuilding the Canadian Armed Forces, and for stepping up as interim leader of the Liberal Party following Paul Martin’s resignation.
Many of the issues tackled in The Call of the World remain as immediate as today’s headlines. Graham demystifies globalization, free trade, human rights, peacekeeping, and multilateralism. All the while, he offers a bold appraisal of Canada’s current role on the global stage and makes a case for why international law offers the best hope for a safer, more prosperous, and just world.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Writing this political memoir, Graham, Canadian foreign affairs minister from 2002 to 2004 and defense minister until 2006, was careful not to step on the toes of his Liberal associates, thereby depriving readers of the honest insights that might make this a worthwhile read. Instead, this overly long, bland recounting of his life and career people lists people he met and places he visited, and mixes occasional anecdotes and recalled conversations with scores of pictures of himself with other leaders. He fails to plumb the depths of the political world he seeks to describe, and his occasional critiques of the electoral process or the labyrinthine Canadian parliament are made as if he were a baffled observer rather than an active participant. His self-deprecation is undercut by quoting himself (even the time-honored introductory quotation page features a quote from Graham) while including kind things others say about him. Readers may also tire of frequent references to self-sacrifice and hard work. Historians will find little new here, especially in sections regarding landmark moments such as the Canadian decision not to directly participate in the 2003 invasion of Iraq, though Graham does express a rare regret in failing to repatriate Omar Khadr, the youngest detainee at Guantanamo Bay, for more than a decade. Graham's book never lives up to its lofty title.
