Mikes World

Although fifty years have passed since Lester Pearson stepped down as prime minister, he still influences debates about Canadas role in the world. Known as Mike to his friends, he has been credited with charting a Pearsonian course in which Canada took on a global role as a helpful fixer seeking to mediate disputes and promote international cooperation. Mikes World explores the myths surrounding Pearsonianism to explain why he remains such a touchstone for understanding Canadian foreign policy. Leading and emerging scholars dig deeply into Pearsons diplomatic and political career, especially during the 1960s and his time as prime minister. Topics range from peacekeeping and Arctic sovereignty to environmental diplomacy and human rights policy. They show that competing forces of idealism and pragmatism were key drivers of Pearsonian foreign policy and how global events often influenced politics and society within Canada itself. Situating Pearson within his times and as a lens through which to analyze Canadians views of global affairs, this nuanced collection wrestles with the contradictions of Pearson and Pearsonianism and, ultimately, with the resulting myths surrounding Canadas role in the world.