Brian Mulroney is a fascinating part of Canadian history. It’s easy to focus your attention on the GST, Meech Lake, Charlottetown, and the airbus scandal. But doing so doesn’t give the man his due credit.

Mulroney was a brilliant statesman with a strong ability to punch above Canada’s weight on the international stage. Acid rain, NAFTA, Bosnia, the fall of the USSR, and helping to end Apartheid I’m South Africa (to name a few) not only required immense political skill and maneuvering at home, but also abroad in the international community.

The focus of “Master of Persuasion” is on Brian Mulroneys international legacy and how he cultivated and used personal relationships with world leaders to advance Canada’s agenda on the world stage. It’s a very enjoyable book, and present Mulroney in a bright new light. Each chapter is broken down into a specific international issue Mulroney advanced, including some that helped change the course of history (Apartheid, NAFTA, Acid Rain, etc.) One of my favourite aspects of the book is that at the end each chapter there is a section on the lessons Mulroneys actions teach us. It’s a unique and easily digestible section for students of Canadian politics and history.

Very glad I read this book! I learned a lot about the former PM and how Canada can impart it’s values on the world!