A political scientist, scholar and the best-selling author of Stalking the Elephant: My Discover of America describes the War of 1812 and discusses the strange alliance of a Shawnee chieftain and an English Major-General.

"Three political leaders presided over the reshaping of the North American continent during the fiery 1860s. Jefferson Davis and Abraham Lincoln were both born in Kentucky, Davis in June 1808 and Lincoln the following February. John A. Macdonald was born in Glasgow, Scotland, in January 1815. All were Protestants; none came from a wealthy family. In an earlier era, such men would not have risen to political heights. They personified an age of social and economic transformation, thrust to the top by the very forces that tore the continent apart. Davis tried to create a country by ripping the South out of the United States and establishing the Confederate States of America. Lincoln's crusade to save the Union honed the industrial-military power that would one day dominate the world. Macdonald led the drive to shepherd the diverse British North American provinces into a federal state that would secure the northern half of the continent and keep Canada out of American hands. In a high stakes game, these three national projects competed to create viable nation states. And the success or failure of the projects would have consequences--not only for the long-term future of the continent but for the entire global order."--

"Red Diaper Baby is James Laxer's compelling and extraordinary memoir of growing up in a communist family during the height of the Cold War. When Jim was born in a Montreal hospital, his father was living in hiding under an assumed name. And when it came time to begin school in Ottawa, Jim was enrolled under a false birth date. Throughout his childhood he was repeatedly instructed not to tell anyone what his father did for work. Laxer's parents were dedicated members of the Communist Party, true believers in an ideology that was generally reviled and had been outlawed during much of World War II. From an early age, Laxer was collecting signatures on ban-the-bomb petitions, delivering Party flyers door to door, attending eccentric left-wing Camp Naivelt, and campaigning for the charismatic J. B. Salsberg, a Communist MPP in the Ontario legislature. Dramatic, humorous, and full of period detail, Red Diaper Baby offers a rare look at the McCarthy years through the eyes of a child. It also explains a great deal about Laxer's eventual and crucial role in the founding of the Waffle faction of the NDP, his continued engagement with the left, and his evolution into one of Canada's preeminent intellectuals."--

Some empires endure for thousands of years, while others flash and fail quickly. This thoughtful study compares the American Empire to those of the past, finding that much can be learned from the fates of the British, Roman, Chinese, Incan, and Aztec empires. Deeply researched and full of historical insights, The Perils of Empire sounds a warning about the challenges facing the American Empire and its repercussions around the globe.

"Mission of Folly is a candid report on Canada's participation in America's "War on Terror" in Afghanistan. Laxer explores the policy vacuum that resulted in Canadian troops being sent to fight a war that would last longer than any previous Canadian allied engagement. With passion and perspicacity he details the motives underlying the invasion and occupation of Afghanistan, outlines the recent history of that troubled nation, and challenges the assumption that infringement of human rights is sufficient justification for Canada's involvement. Laxer's familiarity with U.S. and Canadian global policy provides the backdrop for a concise study that will be of interest to a broad readership."--Publisher.

For more than a decade, the oil industry and energy policy have been a central issue in Canadian economic and political life. Oil and Gas offers an overview of these turbulent years and fresh insight into the real motivates of the main players: Ottawa, Alberta and the other producing provinces, the oil majors such as Imperial, the Canadian companies like Petro-Canada, the OPEC cartel and the U.S. government.