Canada and the United States are two huge, blessed countries that have coexisted for a very long time. They are shaped by different traditions and moulded by different forces. At the same time, there are no two publics on earth that are more similar in their pluralistic values, their attitudes to the world, and their unshakeable belief in freedom and democracy. For Better or Worse: Canada and the United States in the 21st Century explores this relationship. Is there really a "best friendship" rooted in an American respect for the plucky little ally-adversary to the north, or has Canadian collaboration simply allowed U.S. imperialism to take a refined form? How have Canadians managed to maintain their own separate identity, and why have Americans been content to let them do so?