The Politics of War

Jean-Christophe Boucher is an assistant professor in the Department of Political Science at MacEwan University. He is a fellow at the Canadian Global Affairs Institute, a research fellow at the Centre for the Study of Security and Development at Dalhousie University, and a senior fellow at the Centre interuniversitaire de recherche sur les relations internationales du Canada et du Québec. He specializes in international relations, with an emphasis on peace and security issues, Canadian foreign and defence policies, and methodology.

Kim Richard Nossal is a professor in the Department of Political Studies and the Centre for International and Defence Policy at Queen’s University. He is a former editor of International Journal, a former president of the Canadian Political Science Association, and the author of a number of works on Canadian foreign and defence policy. From 2006 to 2012, he chaired the academic selection committee of the Security and Defence Forum of the Department of National Defence.

Although written by political scientists, this book is very accessible to students of the campaign in Afghanistan—whether they be academics, military personnel, or the general reader. It is highly recommended for the view of the “home game” it provides and as a reflection of the military “away game” being played out overseas.

Duane Bratt, professor and chair of the Department of Policy Studies, Mount Royal University:
The Politics of War will quickly become one of the top sources on Canada’s Afghanistan mission. This is a first-class piece of scholarship that deserves to be widely read and cited.

James Fergusson, director of the Centre for Defence and Security Studies and professor in the Department of Political Studies, University of Manitoba:
This outstanding book is a must-read for anyone interested in Canadian foreign and defence policy, particularly the Afghanistan mission. It manages to make an original contribution to the issue of Canada and Afghanistan while at the same time providing a strong empirical confirmation of an existing critical understanding of Canada and its foreign and defence policy.