Can Canada Realistically Diversify Its Defence Partnerships Beyond the U.S.?

The rapidly shifting international environment has sparked renewed interest in CANZUK cooperation as a potential axis for middle powers seeking to safeguard their autonomy and security. While Canada, Australia, the UK, and New Zealand have a long history of informal defence collaboration through arrangements like the Five Eyes intelligence alliance, formalizing CANZUK into a robust security partnership faces practical hurdles. In this week’s Expert Series, John Blaxland and Srdjan Vucetic explore the feasibility of Canada pivoting toward deeper defence cooperation and engagement within hypothetical alliances like CANZUK, given its geographic and economic dependence on the U.S. They discuss the existing defence collaboration between Canada and “ANZUK”, the impact of shifting U.S. foreign policy on the international system, and the emergence of a multipolar world. They also touch on the strategic rationale for hedging against the U.S. and other regional powers, the challenges Canada faces in diversifying its defence partnerships, and why CANZUK is likely to remain more of a concept than a concrete alliance.➡️ LinkedIn:   / cdainstitute  ➡️ Twitter/X: https://x.com/CDAInstitute➡️ Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/cdainstitute...➡️ Instagram: https://bit.ly/42ih7SU📬 Visit our website and subscribe to our newsletter to receive the latest defence and security updates delivered to your inbox: https://bit.ly/4fQ2wDVThe CDA Institute is a non-partisan think tank that conducts research and education programming on defence and security.The CDA Institute is a non-partisan think tank that conducts research and education programming on defence and security.Learn more: CDA Institute