John Ibbitson writes from Ottawa

From The Globe and Mail, published 15 July (online registration required): Harper sticks close to traditional allies .... But what matters is that Mr. Harper is seen by both the British and U.S. governments as a steadier ally than his two predecessors. This will hearten those at home who have lamented the drift from ancient alliances, and appall those who see the United States and its alleged poodles as out of control.... I included this quotation because a lot of my friends and acquaintances are one who are appalled; on the other hand, I am heartened by the following: .... The meeting of the two prime ministers [Blair and Harper] at 10 Downing St. yesterday re-enforced a fundamental reality of this new government, one that many Canadians may not yet fully appreciate. Under Mr. Harper's Conservatives, Canada has undergone a major shift in its foreign policy. It has replaced carefully balanced responses with bold statements. It has sacrificed Canada's traditional even-handedness for plain declarations based on moral certainty. Rather than cleaving to the multilateral consensus (read the United Nations), the Harper government has chosen to stick close to Canada's traditional allies, with the United States at the centre, Great Britain and Australia not far removed, and continental Europe a distant object.... My take on Canada's foreign and domestic policies. If you read Prime Minister Harper's speeches, there are "bottom lines" which guide his strategy and thinking. Compared to the last prime minister, Harper is not "anything goes" or "you want money, here it is." On domestic files, he means what he says. You have to pay attention to what he says because he says very little in public, and when it is unspoken, it leads me to conclude that the Canadian government is thinking through complicated files, e.g. Canada's economic competitiveness versus the rest of the world and Canada's response to cut greenhouse emissions. On foreign policy, it means that Canada is not "we stand for this ... but we understand that ..." In the grand game of RISK real-time, Canada as a middle power associates with certain allies closer than some others, maintains diplomatic relations with countries in the world, and condemns truly outrageous stuff from "rogue states" and terrorists.