Talking Heads, Talking Arms Vol. 3: Playing the Ostrich

The fifty conversations that appear in Talking Heads Talking Arms, recorded periodically between 1994 and the end of 2001, focus on the state of the Canadian Armed Forces and their relationship with the people and the government of Canada as we move into the troubled world of the 21st century.

Volume 3, Playing the Ostrich, is a wide-ranging look at Canadian defence and foreign policy from the point of view of diplomats, soldiers, academics, and people within the political world in Ottawa and Washington. The essays examine Canadian military contributions to recent international actions, such as the NATO campaign in Kosovo, and discuss the role that Canada is likely to play in future overseas conflicts. They analyze with a critical eye the traditional view of Canada as a peacekeeping, "soft power" nation, and reveal how cutbacks to military spending over the years have diminished not only the Canadian Forces, but also Canada's reputation and influence on the global stage.

John Wood was the Artistic Director of English Theatre at the National Arts Centre in Ottawa from 1977 to 1984. He has directed major productions for theatres in Canada, England, Australia, and the United States and has also written and directed for radio, film, and television. He was one of the directors and the writer for the series Days of Reckoning.