Neoclassical Realism and the Avro CF-105 Arrow

Abstract

This thesis analyses the key decisions made by the Diefenbaker government leading to the cancellation of the CF-105 Avro Arrow in 1958 and 1959, and more particularly the domestic factors that influenced those decisions. Utilizing a theoretical framework known in the theoretical literature as neoclassical realism, the thesis explores how and under what circumstances domestic variables can influence the capacity of a state, or its government, to respond to the imperatives created by the international security environment.