Rowman & Littlefield Publishers
Pages: 288
Trim: 6¼ x 9½
978-1-4422-4269-2 • Hardback • March 2015 • $124.00 • (£95.00)
978-1-4422-4270-8 • eBook • March 2015 • $117.50 • (£91.00)
David Haglund is professor of political science at Queen’s University, Canada.
Chapter 1: “Geopolitical” Borders and North America’s Hobbesian Past: Mythologizing the 49th Parallel
Chapter 2: From Zone of War to Zone of Peace: Origins and Evolution of the Canada-US Security Community
Chapter 3: Diasporas and their Impact upon Global and Regional Security: The Question of “Ethnic Lobbying”
Chapter 4: Big Stick, or Splintered Shillelagh? Irish America and Its Impact on the Canada-US Security Relationship
Chapter 5: “Do the German Americans Dictate Our Foreign Policy?”: The Principle of the Opposite Effect, Applied
Chapter 6: “New Fenians” and “Homegrowns”: Jihadism and the Evolving North American Security Community
Chapter 7: Conclusion
Haglund focuses on ‘ethnic diasporas’ and their relation to the regional security of the US and Canada. His ‘historically oriented analysis’ is meant to foster "defining locational information," which in the case at hand means understanding the relationship between demographic patterns and ‘the origin and evolution of the Canada-US security community.’ The book is devoted to the influence that ethnic diasporas have had ‘over the evolving pattern of security relations between the US and Canada.’ The first two chapters discuss the transition of North America from a colonial ‘zone of war’ to a modern ‘zone of peace’ and are followed by a third chapter devoted to the question of ethnic interest group influence on US foreign policy. The next three chapters treat the specific cases of Irish, German, and North American Muslim diasporas within a Canada-US comparative framework. The author's summary comment on reviewing the historical record is that the problem the Irish and German American diasporas posed to regional security in effect ‘solved itself’; it is far from clear whether this pattern will hold in the case of the ‘current challenge’ of the Muslim diaspora. Summing Up: Recommended. Upper-division undergraduate, graduate, and research collections.
— Choice Reviews
His [the author's] prose is both precise and colorful . . . [This] gripping narrative . . . is [an] often forgotten passages of American history, [which] gives this book an interest which should far exceed the circles of political scientists alone.
— Etudes Internationales
This book is an absolutely fascinating account of the impact of ethnic diasporas on the U.S.-Canada security relationship. Focusing not only on Muslim-North Americans, but also on Irish-Americans and German-Americans, David Haglund brings in much needed historical perspective to current debates on both sides of the border. As Haglund shows, ethnic diasporas have profoundly shaped the security relationship for 150 years and will no doubt continue to do so in the future. Anyone interested in the intersection of demography and security in general and the U.S.-Canada security relationship in particular should read this book.
— Peter Andreas, John Hay Professor of International Studies, Brown University (co-author of Policing the Globe: Criminalization and Crime Control in International Relations)
Ethnic Diasporas and the Canada-United States Security community is an outstanding contribution to our understanding of the increasingly important Canada-United States security community. This study begins with innovative theorizing about geopolitics, borders, zones of peace and ethnic lobbying. Those concepts are brought together effectively in authoritative case studies on Irish, German, and Muslim diasporas. The findings go far beyond simplistic notions of ethnic lobbying and help us to understand the origins, evolution and likely future of the North American security community. In sum, this is the most important contribution to North American security studies in the 9/11 era and stands as a ‘must-read’ for scholars of North America and security studies writ large.
— Patrick James, University of Southern California
One would be hard-pressed today to read anything original on the subject of post-9/11 security. Haglund's comparative analysis of the security implications of Irish, German, and Muslim diaspora communities in North America is a rare and timely exception. This valuable contribution combines rich historical context and perspective, well-reasoned and nuanced analysis, and theoretical rigor. Anyone interested in deciphering the evolving challenges of homegrown terrorism in North America, parsing the complex nexus between demography, diaspora-based activism and continental security, or searching for the deeper roots of a brand of globalized Salafist jihadism, will benefit from reading this book. Policy makers in Ottawa and Washington who confidently proclaim they have the answers to these problems will find Haglund’s analysis incredibly insightful, informative and humbling.
— Frank P. Harvey, Eric Dennis Chair of Government and Politics, Dalhousie University
Timely, controversial, and informative. Examining the Irish, German, and Muslim immigrant ethos in the United States and Canada, David Haglund draws conclusions about the diverse roles these immigrants have played in terms of positive contributions, efforts to gain political influence, and for a small group in opposition to the preferences of the majority, a proclivity toward violence. Identity politics and conflicts provide many useful insights for the curious reader.
— Charles F. Doran, Andrew W. Mellon Professor of International Relations, Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies