Canadian defence policy after the cold war: Old dimensions and new realities

Abstract

The end of the Cold War compels Canada to adjust its foreign and defence policies to account for the changes in the international security environment and the reality of increasing domestic fiscal constraints. This article contends that Canada's security interests after the Cold War demand the pursuit of an internationalist foreign policy. There will be a prominent defence component to this internationalism; international contingencies and peacekeeping will dominate the missions of the Canadian Forces after the Cold War. However, in the face of budget constraints, the Canadian Forces must be restructured with a view to the specific roles and missions that will be demanded of them in the future.