Book Launch
Chrétien and the World
Edited by Jack Cunningham and John Meehan
Sponsored by the Bill Graham Centre, the Canadian International Council, and the Aga Khan Museum
Date: Tuesday, September 30, 2025
Time: 4:00 pm - 6:30 pm, EST
Location: Aga Khan Museum, 77 Wynford Dr, North York, ON M3C 1K1
Join us for the launch of Chrétien and the World: Canadian Foreign Policy from 1993 to 2003 with special guest the Rt. Hon. Jean Chrétien. Books will be available for purchase. A private reception will follow the presentation.
This book launch is part of 2025 Couchiching Conference, co-hosted by the Canadian International Council and the Aga Khan Museum.
Register Here: https://thecic.org/couchiching2025/
About the Book:
Conventional wisdom holds that foreign policy was not a priority for Jean Chrétien over his ten years as Canadian prime minister. In reality, he and his government pursued an often ambitious, activist policy to forward not only national interests but liberal ideals on the world stage.
Chrétien and the World combines the perspectives of key players of the time with analyses by leading scholars. They draw on personal recollections, interviews, and research to portray a foreign policy that was more coherent and engaged than previously believed. As arguably Canada’s first post–Cold War prime minister, Chrétien responded to events that reshaped the international landscape, notably the 9/11 attacks on the United States, the subsequent war on terror, the US-led invasion of Iraq, and Canadian involvement in Afghanistan. Working with trusted ministers, he emphasized trade liberalization, strong bilateral and multilateral relations, human security, and humanitarian intervention. Often characterized as purely pragmatic, Chrétien’s tenure in fact marked a high point of liberal internationalism through an agenda that emphasized Canadian values and leadership in global affairs.
This insightful collection provides a new understanding of how Canada navigated crucial years between the end of the Cold War and the emergence of a new geopolitical reality.
Chrétien and the World will engage scholars of political history, Canadian history, international relations, and foreign policy, and more broadly readers who follow Canadian politics and foreign policy.