Canada and Reagan Challenge, first published in 1982, has gained wide acclaim for its analysis of the crisis of 1981 - when Ottawa and Washington went head-to-head over the economic nationalism of the National Energy Program and the Foreign Investment Review Agency. Stephen Clarkson's study demonstrated that the crisis extended to a great many fronts, including defence, the environment and the survival of Canadian culture.
The September 1984 election brought to Ottawa a new Conservative government, one that seemed determined to embrace Ronald Reagan's view of the world. The Conservatives soon came on side with Washington on the "Stars Wars" debate. As for foreign investment, the Tories declared Canada "open for business". With many challenges for the bilateral relationship on the horizon - further protectionist threats, free trade negotiations, the modernization of NORAD, the acid rain crisis, and American withdrawal from international institutions such as UNESCO - Stephen Clarkson asks whether the Conservatives' "super relations" with the United States will result in the sacrifice of Canadian interests.