Deliverology and Canadian military commitments in Europe circa 2017

• Published in: Canadian foreign policy journal Vol. 24; no. 1; pp. 39 - 55
• Main Author: McKay, J.R.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Taylor & Francis Ltd 02.01.2018
• Subjects: Decision making; Donations; Foreign policy; Idealism; International relations; Internationalism; Peacekeeping; Canada; Europe
• ISSN: 1192-6422; 2157-0817
• DOI: 10.1080/11926422.2017.1331175

The Liberal government elected in October 2015 established an operational code based on the concept of "deliverology," especially on its campaign promises. Such promises included a change in the Canadian contributions against Daesh (actualized), a renewal of Canadian contributions to United Nations-led "peacekeeping" (not yet actualized), and the maintenance of Canadian commitments to North Atlantic Treaty Organization operations (to be increased). This divergence between promises and decisions presents a puzzle. Why would the government fulfill some promises but not others? The increase in the future military commitments comes at a cost, and the government's efforts to reconcile its costs and commitments in the future will reveal the depth of its idealism. The challenge for future research will be trying to discern between a preference for being a "reliable ally" and the need to be perceived as the same in order to enable the pursuit of liberal internationalist goals.