“I started reading this extraordinary book expecting to learn more about the political, economic and social history between Canada and the United States. I was fortunately exposed to much more - a wonderfully written in-depth primer to the very complex and underappreciated US-Canada relationship underpinned by our distinct cultural psyches. Jones and Kilgour employ a fascinating narrative exploring a largely overlooked story. I would recommend it to anyone.”

- Paul Fowler, NACFAM Research Director

It has been said that Americans will do anything for Canadians except learn about them.

Our benign indifference to our largest trading partner--especially when its economic power has never been stronger--is potentially damaging to longer term U.S. interests. “They’re just like us,” is not what Canadians want to hear nor is it regarded as a compliment. For their part, Canadians appear to believe there is the equivalent of a two-way mirror at the border: Canadians looking south see Americans as they really are while Americans looking north see only a reflection of themselves. Americans need to understand--and change--these Canadian perceptions.

David T Jones, NACFAM Weekly senior editor, has recently coauthored a rebuttal to such views, exploring their inadequacies and offering new perspectives. In Uneasy Neighbo(u)rs: Canada, the USA and the Dynamic of State, Industry and Culture (Wiley, September 2007; Cloth; $27.95), Jones combines with David Kilgour, a former Liberal Party Member of Parliament, to review the United States and Canada from a different optic. Thus for Jones and Kilgour, the U.S. and Canada are “alternative North Americas” in which, the essentially similar nature of our two societies are the equivalent of two Biology 101 Petri dishes that are reacting differently to the same stimuli.

Essentially, the U.S. and Canada are two first-world, high tech democracies; we are committed to democratic politics, the rule of law, free market economies; and the security and well-being of our citizens. As such both are facing the challenges that the 21st century will inflict on all such societies. Although the most obvious element of the bilateral relationship is trade/commerce, as epitomized in the North America Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), with all of its specific friction points (softwood lumber pricing; the “mad cow” ban on beef exports), our virtually integrated economies are just the beginning of the relationship.

-- National Identity and Self-Image. The United States has emphasized (and is willing to enforce) unity; Canada has tolerated an almost unprecedented level of disunity and has remained one country. But will this “dancing bear” continue to dance?

-- Democratic Culture and Practices. While Americans view government as a necessary evil, Canadians tend to view government as a good thing, trusted to act in the public interest. Is one view more realistic than the other?

-- Economic and Resource Management. One of the greatest challenges the U.S. and Canada face is the tension between energy use and conservation--the U.S. is the world’s largest energy consumer while Canada could be the largest producer of petroleum in the world. Is the environment the inevitable victim of an expanding economy?

-- Culture, Education, and Religion. The U.S. and Canada hold their respective cultures as a point of pride, but are both struggling as public education fails to meet domestic national standards and the standards of other industrialized countries. Is it possible to leave no child behind in practical educational terms?

-- Health Care. No matter what side of the border you’re on, health care faces a systematic problem: “in the end, we all die.” Both countries face the same frustration as many invaluable social programs are competing for limited funding--health care included.

-- Military and Foreign Affairs. The U.S. outspends the world for defence/security and still believes itself at risk. Has Canada abdicated its security to the U.S. and, if so, what does such action mean for both countries?

In their unique “on the one hand; on the other hand” investigation of bilateral realities, Jones and Kilgour are searching for productive avenues of discussion to move beyond the mudslinging that so often passes for bilateral discourse. Uneasy Neighbo(u)rs demonstrates that even grating disagreement need not result in axiomatic animosity. And by offering illustration of two variants of working federal structures, the U.S.-Canada relationship provides illustrative examples for states still emerging from the former USSR and Yugoslavia.

David T Jones, based in Arlington VA, is a retired U.S. senior foreign-service officer who served as the Political Minister Counsellor at the U.S. Embassy in Ottawa. He has been Senior Editor of the NACFAM Weekly since 1999. David Kilgour is a former Member of Parliament who served as the Secretary of State for Latin America and Africa, Secretary of State for Asia-Pacific, and Deputy Speaker of Parliament.

Here is the Amazon site at which the book can be ordered.

Uneasy Neighbo(u)rs is also available at Borders and/or Barnes and Noble stores or can be ordered through them.