Neither absent nor central, Canada moves quietly in the Pacific islands

(Elise Barandon – ASPI The Strategist) Canada is quietly strengthening its presence in the Pacific. In a region where relationships are more important than military or economic strength, Canada possesses the latitude to pursue a middle-power strategy distinct from Australia’s. Australia and Canada may well be ideal Indo-Pacific partners, underscored by Mark Carney’s visit to Australia from 3 to 6 March. But Canada will also have to find its own way, particularly at a time when Australia’s Pacific-family rhetoric has been criticised, and the United States appears to be an unpredictable partner willing to make Canada its 51st state. – Neither absent nor central, Canada moves quietly in the Pacific islands | The Strategist