14

This article delves into two periods of tension within the Canada-US relationship: from 1968 to 1976, during which Ottawa multiplied its gestures of rupture with Washington amid the upsurge of Canadian nationalism; and from 2001 to 2006, when, in the immediate post-9/11 context, Ottawa and Washington clashed over security issues. Analyzing these two crises allows us to put forward a tension/alleviation model, which complements the Keohane-Nye model of asymmetrical and complex interdependence between Canada and the United States. Our model is based on the interaction of three factors: (1) domestic pressures pushing governments to review the frameworks of the relationship; (2) transformations in the international environment; and (3) complex personal relations between the Canadian Prime Minister and US presidents. We conclude with a reflection on what our model can teach us about the most recent crisis in the Canada-US relationship, beginning with Donald Trump’s rise to power in 2017.