A study of the political bond between Canada and the United States during the 1950’s.

Building a Special Relationship offers thoughtful insight into Canadian and American foreign relations during the 1950s when Canada and the United States found new diplomatic footing as allies in the shadow of the Cold War. This book demonstrates how the Eisenhower years were crucial in forming the bilateral relationship that currently exists between Canada and the United States. 

Under Eisenhower and Prime Ministers St. Laurent and Diefenbaker, policymakers on both sides of the border collaborated with an air of “tolerant accommodation” on significant issues of the day. Despite frequent differences, they established frameworks for defense, foreign policy, economic growth, and resource management, many of which endure today. For scholars and readers of political history, international relations, and diplomacy, Building a Special Relationship makes a compelling case that the Eisenhower era is key to understanding the ongoing bond between these two nations.