Before Lloyd Axworthy entered global politics, "human security" -- a philosophy calling for global responsibility to the interests of individuals rather than to the interests of the nation state or multi-national corporations -- was a controversial and unfamiliar idea. When put into action, human security led to an international ban on landmines, initiatives to curtail the use of child soldiers, and the formation of the International Criminal Court. Today, with conflict raging across the planet -- and building -- the need for a humane, secure international governance is more vital than ever. So how can Canada reject a world model dominated by U.S. policy, military force and naked self-interest? How can we rethink a global world from the perspective of people -- our security, our needs, our promise, our dreams?

Lloyd Axworthy delivers recommendations that are both practical and radical, ranging from staunch Canadian independence from the U.S. to environmental as well as political security; from rules to govern intervention when nations oppress their own citizens, to codes of conduct on arms control and war crimes.

Arresting and provocative, Navigating a New World lays out just why Canada has the skills to lead the world into a twenty-first century less nightmarish than the last, and help make the world safer and more just for us all. This is a call for action from one of Canada's most eloquent statesmen and thinkers, and is essential reading for all Canadians.


Where is the line we draw in setting out the boundaries for being responsible for others? Is it simply family and close friends? Do we stop at the frontiers of our own country? Does our conscience, our sense of right or wrong, take us as far as the crowded camps of northern Uganda, surrounded by land mines, attacked repeatedly by an army made largely of child soldiers? I believe we in Canada have a special vocation to help in the building of a more secure order. We need not be confined to our self-interest. -- from Navigating a New World

REVIEW QUOTES

Praise for Lloyd Axworthy, winner of:
• the Princeton University James Madison Medal
• the Senator Patrick J. Leahy Humanitarian Award
• the CARE International Humanitarian Award
• the Thakore Award

“Mr. Axworthy has redefined diplomacy. He has shaped a global society where the safety of the individual is at the center of international priorities.” -- Citation from the Senator Patrick J. Leahy Humanitarian Award 2000

“Canada’s outgoing foreign minister is one of the best in memory.” -- Toronto Star

“He has become the darling of aid agencies and human rights crusaders for giving a voice to the poor, the hungry and the embattled victims of war. In his four years as foreign affairs minister, [he] remade Canadian foreign policy.” -- Ottawa Citizen

“Axworthy. . .charted Canada’s place in the world in the latter half of the 20th century, and in so doing defined new possibilities for [our] country.” -- The Edmonton Journal

AUTHOR BIOGRAPHY

Lloyd Axworthy’s political career spanned twenty-seven years, including many as a Member of Parliament and minister of portfolios including immigration, transport, human resources development and foreign affairs. A former professor at the University of Winnipeg, he is a member of the Order of Manitoba. Among other awards, he has won the CARE International Humanitarian Award, and was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize. Currently, he is Director and CEO of the Liu Institute for Global Issues at the University of British Columbia, international advisor to Fraser Milner Casgrain and a board member of both the MacArthur Foundation and Human Rights Watch. He lives on Vancouver Island.