ABSTRACT
The marked lack of enthusiasm in Canada's response to the demand for participation in a second United Nations peacekeeping force in the Middle East indicates the change in the general direction of Canadian foreign policy. Although Canada's formal demands have been met, decision-makers are reluctant to make an open-ended commitment to participation in the peacekeeping force. The secretary of state for external affairs has noted that Canada would be unable to increase the size of its commitment to United Nations Emergency Force, because the army would have to be used for additional security at the Olympic games in 1976. As Canada devalued the benefits of peacekeeping, it also reduced the constraints on a more active foreign policy in the Middle East, expanded the scope of bilateral relations beyond the conflict, and modified its position on the Arab-Israel conflict. The Canadian position on the representation of the Palestinians was only one inconsistency within the larger context of policy on the Arab-Israel conflict.
