Thatcher Reagan Mulroney

Savoie considers the war of reform waged by the leaders of these major industrial countries. Reagan declared that he had come to Washington to “drain the swamp” of bureaucracy, and set up the Grace Commission to investigate the operation of the U.S. government. Thatcher and Mulroney were equally committed to reform and initiated wide-ranging changes. By the end of the 1990s, the changes were dramatic. Many governments operations had been privatized in all three countries, and new management techniques had been introduced. In Great Britain, one observer judged that the changes were historically as important as the collapse of Keynesian economics. Is government now better in these countries, and was political leadership right in focusing on management of the bureaucracy as the villain? Savoie suggests that the reforms overlooked problems now urgently requiring attention and, at the same time, attempted to address non-existent problems. He combines theory and research based on sixty-two interviews, nearly all with members of the executive branch of the governments of Britain, Canada and the United States.

Based on unprecedented access--interviews with key players, diaries, memos, etc.--the first book to document Brian Mulroney's impressive foreign policy record, from NAFTA to the collapse of the Soviet Union, climate change to the release of Nelson Mandela. Prime Minister Brian Mulroney led and lifted Canada's voice and influence in world affairs to unprecedented heights. He understood better than many of his predecessors that Canada's power and influence derived from a solid grasp of our vital national interests, and a purposeful commitment to pursing those interests and values on the world stage. With full access to key players and new documentation, Fen Osler Hampson brilliantly tells how Canada succeeded in advancing its national interests on trade, the environment, national security, and the elevation of democracy and human rights under Mulroney's leadership. Through negotiation and the deliberate cultivation of close personal links with other world leaders and figures, including Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush, Margaret Thatcher, François Mitterrand, Nelson Mandela and many others, there were significant achievements that serve Canadian interests to this day. Efforts to combat acid rain, repair the ozone layers, and to champion climate change, long before it became fashionable, surprised and satisfied many ardent advocates on the environment. Perhaps most important of all, Brian Mulroney put to bed the long-standing myth that Canada could not be a respected international player if it was seen as being too close to the United States. In sharp contrast to his predecessor, he argued that the path for global influence for the country began with a principled and trusted dialogue with Washington, one that other world leaders noticed. As Canada's present government navigates its own course in choppy international waters, there is much to be learned from our finest hour on the international stage some three decades ago under Prime Minister Brian Mulroney.

Has power moved out of institutions into the hands of powerful individuals?

It is common for political leaders to claim they have no control over bad outcomes. Indeed, they often cite the arguments of political theorists and public intellectuals as to why: history rushes onward oblivious of human will; force and violence overcome political aims; globalization undermines the actions of national leaders; the bureaucracy sabotages their intentions; bad outcomes are often the unintended result of actions. In Democratic Accountability, Leif Lewin examines these reasons and argues that they are unconvincing. He makes his case by describing and analyzing counterexamples in seven cases, including the prevention of a communist takeover in Europe after World War II, the European Union's preventing another European war, and Margaret Thatcher's taming of the bureaucracy in Britain. In a staunch defense of the possibility for meaningful and profound democratic decision making, Lewin finds that, in fact, not only do political leaders exert a good measure of control and therefore can be assigned responsibility, but the meaning of the functioning democracy is that the people hold their leaders accountable.

Recent decades have shown the public's support for government plummet alongside political leaders’ credibility. This downward spiral calls for an exploration of what has gone wrong. The questions, "What is government good at?" and "What is government not good at?" are critical ones - and their answers should be the basis for good public policy and public administration. In What Is Government Good At?, Donald Savoie argues that politicians and public servants are good at generating and avoiding blame, playing to a segment of the population to win the next election, embracing and defending the status quo, adding management layers and staff, keeping ministers out of trouble, responding to demands from the prime minister and his office, and managing a complex, prime minister-centred organization. Conversely, they are not as good at defining the broader public interest, providing and recognizing evidence-based policy advice, managing human and financial resources with efficiency and frugality, innovating and reforming itself, being accountable to Parliament and to citizens, dealing with non-performers, paying sufficient attention to service delivery, and implementing and evaluating the impact of policies and programs. With wide implications for representative democracy, What Is Government Good At? is a persuasive analysis of an approach to government that has opened the door to those with the resources to influence policy and decision-making while leaving average citizens on the outside looking in.

This is a unique book about a unique Canadian life - about a boy, born and raised in a working-class family in remote Baie-Comeau, who rose to the highest office in the land. How he got there, an outsider fighting his way to the top, is a compelling story. What he did when he got there is just as enthralling. Year by year in this detailed book, he takes us through his time as prime minister (1984-1993), when he mingled with the world's leaders, tackled tough and controversial problems, and left Canada a changed country. The boy from Baie-Comeau changed your life - now his life, frankly recounted in this extraordinary book, deserves a place in your home.

Separated by the world’s longest land border and engaging in over three billion dollars in trade daily, Canada and the United States share security concerns, cultural interests, and a history spanning more than 250 years. Alan Rock, former Canadian ambassador to the United States, has said that this special relationship represents “a bond that is beyond practical. It borders on mystical.” The rise of nativist sentiment, however, has raised concerns over preserving this relationship. History Has Made Us Friends illuminates the nature and dynamics of Canada-US relations, examining their history, attributed meaning, and conceptualization. Contributors consider many angles and perspectives, including the impact of geopolitical change, to determine whether the relationship warrants the moniker “special.” They explore whether shared values and demographic similarities continue to cement the relationship, and if it still matters whether presidents and prime ministers get along. While things look different today from when President Kennedy declared, “What unites us is far greater than what divides us,” History Has Made Us Friends argues that the Canada-US relationship – often narrowly understood or dismissed as a relic of the past – continues to be unique and resilient.