Edwards & Hampson: Canada’s Natural Ally Down Under

While Canada's engagement in Asia has been uncertain since the late 1990s, things seem to be back on track. Ottawa is once again showing leadership. The just concluded free trade agreement with South Korea is a case in point. Other negotiations are underway, such as with Japan, and trade missions and businesses are travelling to Asia in unprecedented numbers.

Despite this revival of activity, there has been relatively less attention paid to the security dimension and the complex forces making East Asia less stable than it has been over much of the past 30 years. They include the rise of China, growing instability on the Korean peninsula, resurgent nationalism, border and maritime boundary disputes, nuclear proliferation, and a rash of new security challenges such as cyberterrorism, human and drug trafficking, and food security.