"Axworthy is well known for his innovative ideas on foreign policy.
He promoted a 'human security' agenda that focused on humanitarian
crises around the world…. He called for an international criminal
court, brokered a ban on landmines and drew international attention
to the plight of war-affected children. In December 2000, he
received the Sen. Patrick Leahy Humanitarian Award from the Vietnam
Veterans of America Foundation for his leadership in 'the global
effort to outlaw the use of child-soldiers, to bring war criminals
to justice and to end the human tragedy of landmines.'"
-Princeton University, citation for the James Madison Medal for
outstanding public service
"In Navigating a New [World], Axworthy draws
together experiences from his life and the give-and-take of
domestic and foreign politics as he threads an eloquent argument
about Canada's vocation as a middle power - one working towards a
humane and just world. It's a must read for a number of reasions,
most particularly because it presents a mainstream politician who
still thinks in terms of justice, compassion, and global
responsibility."
-See Magazine, Book Guide
"Navigating a New World is not the memoir of a
statesman who retires to the farm to reflect and remember…. A
passionate reformer, [Axworthy] remains at the ramparts today,
which makes his book as much about the present as the past. … His
voice is critical, triumphant, self-assured, arbitrary, angry and
anguished. In his stubborn belief in the world's possibilities, it
is also wonderfully romantic. … [Axworthy] framed a new
internationalism for Canada. … His account is thoughtful,
intelligent and compassionate, like the man himself."
-Literary Review of Canada
"[Lloyd Axworthy] has been the best foreign minister that I can
remember in my active life in international affairs…. His work on
everything from landmines to child soldiers has been
exemplary."
-Stephen Lewis
"Axworthy…charted Canada's place in the world in the latter
[decades] of the 20th century, and in so doing defined new
possibilities for [our] country…. Axworthy's signal contribution
[as foreign minister] was to revive the sense of Canadian
internationalism that has always been the core of an immigrant
nation, to foster the sense that we are part of a global
community…. There is no doubt that under his direction, Canada once
again aspired to the heady reaches of global leadership…. The
Ottawa protocol banning anti-personnel landmines seemed like a
Utopian dream. Yet under Axworthy's leadership, it became an
international treaty. So did the International Criminal
Court."
-Edmonton Journal
"[Axworthy] provides useful insights into the national and
international political process….Navigating a New
World is not simply a memoir. It is also an attempt to
advocate a new direction for Canada….Axworthy's assessment of past,
present and future is a well-articulated presentation of the
dominant set of beliefs that have guided Canadian thinking for
decades."
-Winnipeg Free Press
"Navigating a New World presents a
blueprint for a Canadian foreign policy… Axworthy may be a peacenik
but he's no pacifist….He makes a compelling case that Canada's
political culture of compromise offers a model for settling the
world's disputes….[Navigating a New World is] that
kind of penetrating overview you might expect from a former foreign
affairs minister who was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize for
his efforts to ban land mines. It's also a brave minorty-report
sort of book, fitting for someone who was once Western Canada's
only Liberal MP."
-The Vancouver Sun and the Times-Colonist
(Victoria)
"In Navigating a New World, Axworthy provides a
detailed account of his experience at the helm of Canadian foreign
policy. It reveals the portrait of a crusading idealist, a man
passionately committed to creating a better world - and his own
ideas about how to do it. … This is the vision of a populist and
radical thinker. … There is much in the Axworthy analysis one can
applaud. … One cannot read Axworthy's book without being convinced
of his sincere commitment to a better world."
-The National Post
"In his four years as foreign affairs minister, …Axworthy has
remade Canadian foreign policy, introducing the buzzwords "soft
power" and "human security" into Canada's political lexicon. 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 international politics."
-Ottawa Citizen
"Navigating a New World is a challenge to Canada
and its citizens to help map a future world that emphasizes human
security, not corporate profit, a world that confronts and bests
poverty, war and human privation. The former cabinet minister…urges
Canada to promote a world dominated by human compassion. He makes a
compelling case and it's hard to dismiss this book as simply a soft
power plea."
-The Calgary Herald
"Axworthy's book…makes a serious contribution to debate about
Canada's role in the world, and should be read by anyone interested
in…the shape and challenges of the modern world. It's a book
eminently worth reading for its passion and strengths, and arguing
with for its absences."
-The Globe and Mail
"Mr. Axworthy has redefined diplomacy. He has shaped a global
society where the safety of the individual is at the center of
international priorities. His vision has focused the attention of
the world on the innocent victims of human conflict. He has been a
leader in the global effort to outlaw the use of child soldiers, to
bring war criminals to justice, and to end the human tragedy caused
by landmines. Mr. Axworthy's steadfast resolve and extraordinary
leadership initiated and inspired the Ottawa Convention, the
international treaty to ban landmines…the exemplary work of [an]
extraordinary man."
-Citation from the Senator Patrick J. Leahy Humanitarian Award
2000
"Richly detailed and forcefully argued…. Axworthy…demonstrat[es]
how Canadian influence can make a tangible difference in people's
lives around the world…. Axworthy's case that we really can and
should be doing more to advance human security around the world is
compelling, and that is more than enough to make this a very
valuable book."
-The Gazette
"Axworthy's book proposes a coherent idea, or set of interconnected
ideas, for Canadian foreign policy as no one has since [Lester]
Pearson did with his notions of peacekeeping and of Canada as a
'helpful fixer' between the U.S. and Europe. More soft power and
human security, of course. But Axworthy magnifies those concepts
and gives them a new purposefulness that's expressed in his opening
sentence: 'Canadians are on the road to global citizenship.' … .
His vision deserves a careful hearing by Canadians, by Ottawa - and
by Paul Martin."
-The Toronto Star
"The former cabinet minister makes a compelling case,
rejecting an American-centred view of the world and urging Canada
to promote a world dominated by human compassion."
-Truro Daily News
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
"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