Ethnic Diasporas and the Canada-United States Security Community: From the Civil War to Today

(Hardback)

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Ethnic Diasporas and the Canada-United States Security Community focuses on three diasporas and their impact on North American security relations, the Irish and Germans, which were mainly in the US, and the Muslim diaspora, which is based in both countries. The book begins by examining the evolution of North America from a zone of war to a zone of peace (i.e., a security community), starting with the debate over the nature and meaning of the Canada-US border. It then assesses the role of ethnic diasporas in North American security, looking as to whether ethnic interest groups have been gaining influence over the shaping of the US foreign policy. This debate is also valid in Canada, especially given the practice of federal political parties of catering to blocs of ethnic voters. The second section of the book focuses on three case studies. The first examines the impact of the Irish Americans on the quality of security relations between the US and the UK, and therefore between the former and Canada. The second looks at an even larger diaspora, the German Americans, whose political agenda by the start of twentieth century attempted to discourage Anglo-American entente and eventual alliance. The final case concentrates on the debates around the North American Muslim diaspora in the past two decades, a time when policy attention turned toward the greater Middle East, which in many ways constitute the kin community of this politically active diaspora. This comparative assessment of the three cases provides contextualization for todays discussion of homegrown terrorism and its implication for bilateral security cooperation in North America.

Reviews

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, Brown University
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 securityin 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 *
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 *
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 Haglunds 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

Author Bio

David Haglund is professor of political science at Queens University, Canada.