Trudeau’s World

Robert Bothwell is a professor of history at the University of Toronto. He was the director of the International Relations Program there from 1995 to 2011. He is a noted and much-published specialist in Canadian political and foreign policy history. He is the author of Alliance and Illusion: Canada and the World, 1945-84.

J.L. Granatstein is a Distinguished Research Professor of History Emeritus at York University. He was director and CEO of the Canadian War Museum and has served on government commissions. He has published extensively in Canadian military, political, and foreign policy history for more than fifty years. He is the author, most recently, of The Weight of Command: Voices of Canada’s Second World War Generals and Those Who Knew Them.

Francis M. Carroll, St. John's College, University of Manitoba:
Trudeau's World does three things very well: 1) It examines the complex and multi-layered workings of the government; 2) it focuses on and attempts to give clarity to several issues of the period that had foreign policy or military dimensions; and 3) it provides insider glimpses of that attractive but inscrutable figure, Trudeau... The book's strength comes from the interviews with people who worked with [Trudeau].

Thirstan Falconer, St. Jerome's University:

This monograph will be well-received by scholars and graduate students alike in history and political science. It will also be a useful source for undergraduate students in Canadian foreign policy courses. The interviews fuse together large themes in the history of Canadian international affairs while they also remind us that their work stands the test of time.

Kim Richard Nossal, Centre for International and Defence Policy, Queen’s University:
The insider interviews conducted by Robert Bothwell and J.L. Granatstein for their 1990 book on Pierre Trudeau and Canadian foreign policy were always what made Pirouette: Pierre Trudeau and Canadian Foreign Policy such an indispensable source on that era. Now, thirty years on, we have a curated collection of those interviews. Engagingly scripted and carefully placed in context, these interviews are a natural companion to Pirouette. But Trudeau’s World also stands on its own as a fascinating and compelling window into Canada — and the world — between 1968 and 1984.

John English, Director, Bill Graham Centre for Contemporary International History, University of Toronto:
Trudeau’s World is a magnificent trove of information and insights about Pierre Trudeau and his times. Two outstanding historians show the value of their craft as they extract invaluable nuggets from their sources and cause the interviewees to reveal more than they had ever intended. An essential book for all scholars and students of post-1968 Canada.