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been driven between the two countries; a thickening of the border has resulted.
Regarding the second question, dimensional analysis continues to inform understanding of Canadian-U.S. relations. The United States still puts a primary emphasis on security; Canada stresses trade and commerce. In the words of former U.S. ambassador to Canada Paul Cellucci, for the United States after September 11, “security trumps trade” (Cellucci, 2005, p. 131-146). Secondary priorities are again split, with the United States valuing economics over cultural-political factors while Canada prioritizes cultural-political factors over security.
Part of the reason cultural-political matters are so much more important than security for Canada is that federal-provincial matters for Canada are cultural-political, and the United States takes the lead in global security, thus reducing the pressure upon Canada to prioritize security as a policy variable. Hence, not only are these values intrinsic to the strategic calculus of each country, but in addition, each country situates these values in its relationship with the other country based to some extent on the other country’s perception of its own priorities. If the United States valued security less, for example, Canada would probably—necessarily—value it more. These bilateral value responses by the two countries are partially in competition, but in the end they also are complementary.
One of the reasons, then, that partnership ebbs and flows in U.S.-Canada relations is that the value rankings regarding foreign policy are not the same on each side of the border and probably never will be identical. When individual governments on either side of the border emphasize the extremities of these rankings in their foreign policy conduct, relations appear to diverge and the partnership ebbs. But as the ocean tide ebbs, so it flows. Eventually, through tactical cooperation, convergence and partnership return to U.S.-Canada relations.
Finally, Forgotten Partnership addresses the matter of issues and structures. In most bilateral relations between countries, issues are volatile; structures such as institutions, coalitions, and alliances are not. But in U.S.-Canada relations, the institutions change profoundly. Today lumber, fish, and wheat subsidies are in dispute, as they were in 1911 at