Fonds F2410 - Cooperative Security in the Asia Pacific Fonds

1.56 meters of textual records
1 computer disk : magnetic ; 5 1/4 in. floppy
3 computer disks : magnetic ; 3.5 in. floppy

Received from Professors David Dewitt, Paul Evans, and Brian Job.

Between 1989 and 2005, Canadian officials and academics undertook programs to promote cooperative security and later human security in the Asia-Pacific region. The defining feature of these initiatives was their emphasis on “Track Two” diplomacy – informal dialogues involving academics, experts, civil society groups, and officials in their private capacities. These initiatives aimed to broaden security discussions beyond military issues, foster dialogue, and strengthen Canada’s role as a constructive middle power. These efforts produced more than a dozen programs, working groups, dialogues, and collaborative research initiatives intended to deepen regional engagement and encourage multilateral exchange.

The earliest and most influential of these efforts was the North Pacific Cooperative Security Dialogue (NPCSD), which became a model for subsequent Canadian engagements. Over time, the scope of activities widened to include involvement in a range of institution building ventures such as the Council for Security Cooperation in the Asia Pacific (CSCAP), the Canada–Korea Forum, and the Canada-Japan Symposium for Peace and Security Cooperation.

Several senior Canadian officials were engaged in these “Track Two” initiatives, including Senator Jack Austin, who encouraged the integration of scholarly research and policymaking. The Right Honourable Joe Clark, Secretary of State for External Affairs recognized the need to renew foreign policy thinking in the immediate post-Cold War era, as well as the importance of the Asia-Pacific region. Later, the Honourable Lloyd Axworthy, as Minister of Foreign Affairs, advanced Canada’s leadership in human security in the Asia Pacific region.

Three leading Canadian international relations scholars provided leadership and continuity for these projects, as well. Dr. Paul Evans, then at York University and later at the University of British Columbia was co-director of the NPCSD, and co-founded CSCAP, the Canada-Korea Forum, and the Canadian Consortium on Human Security (CCHS). Dr. David Dewitt, professor at York University and director of its Centre for International and Security Studies, co directed the NPCSD, and co founded CSCAP and CANCAPS. Dr. Brian Job, professor at the University of British Columbia, directed the Canadian Consortium for Human Security and played central roles in CSCAP at both the national and regional levels, and was co-chair of the Canada-Japan Peace and Security Symposium.

While the regional institutions established by these “Track Two” initiatives did not fade away after 2005, much of the financial support for these programs did, as Canadian officials shifted their foreign policy focus to the war on terrorism and the war if Afghanistan. In 2024, Dewitt, Evans and Job – drawing upon their firsthand experience – wrote a detailed account and analysis of these initiatives in a research report entitled Building Cooperative Security in the Asia Pacific: Canadian Track-Two Initiatives, which offered insight into this period of Canadian foreign policymaking, as well as the importance of “Track Two” diplomacy in building regional security.

Papers in this collection include the records of Evans, Dewitt, and Job, which document their role in Canadian international security policy development from 1988 to 2005, Track Two diplomacy research, the North Pacific Cooperative Security Dialogue (NPCSD), the Council for Security Cooperation in the Asia Pacific (CSCAP), the Canada–Korea Forum (KCF), the Canada–Japan Symposium on Peace and Security Cooperation. These papers also include several publication series, such as Eastern Asia Policy Papers, North Pacific Policy Papers, and Canadian Consortium on Asia Pacific Security (CANCAPS) Bulletins. It also includes the research report entitled Building Cooperative Security in the Asia Pacific: Canadian Track-Two Initiatives written by Dewitt, Evans and Job outlining the various cooperative security initiatives in the Asia-Pacific from 1988 to 2005, and their involvement in same.

Contains series

1. Canadian International Security Policy Development
2. Track Two Diplomacy Research
3. Regional Cooperation Programs – General
4. North Pacific Cooperative Security Dialogue (NPCSD)
5. Canada-Korea Forum
6. Council for Security Cooperation in the Asia Pacific (CSCAP) North Pacific Working Group
7. Council for Security Cooperation in the Asia Pacific (CSCAP)
8. Canadian Consortium on Asia Pacific Security (CANCAPS)
9. Canadian Consortium on Human Security (CCHS)
10. Canada-Japan Symposium for Peace and Security Cooperation
11. Publications

No further accruals are expected.

No restrictions on access.

Various copyright holders. It is the researcher’s responsibility to obtain permission to publish any part of the fonds.

• English