Human security and Canadian foreign policy: Canada's international security dilemma in the new millenium

Human security, or safety of people from violent threats, has been designated by Lloyd Axworthy, Minister of Foreign Affairs, as a Canadian security priority. This prioritization of Canadian foreign policy represents a transition in Canadian security discourse. This thesis argues that the human security agenda is reflective of both international and national security debates about how to define security policy in the complexity of the post-Cold War environment. It outlines how the agenda is pursued and traces its effects on the Canada-US relationship by evaluating the international campaign to ban landmines, the campaign to create the International Criminal Court and the campaign to create an optional protocol on child soldiers. Finally, this thesis assesses the implications of the agenda for Canadian foreign policy, Canada-US relations, and international diplomacy. It concludes that within limits the human security agenda is an important way of considering Canadian foreign policy.