John Kirton

Who was John Kirton?

John J. Kirton is a professor of political science and the director and co-founder of the G8 Research Group, co-director and founder of the G20 Research Group, and founder and co-director of the Global Health Diplomacy Program, all housed at the Munk School of Global Affairs at University of Trinity College in the University of Toronto.

He received his B.A. in Political Science in 1971 from the University of Toronto, his M.A. in International Affairs in 1973 from Carleton University, and his Ph.D. in International Studies in 1977 from the Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies at Johns Hopkins University.

He specializes in Canadian foreign policy, the G8, G20 and global governance, global health governance, and trade and the environment.

As a scholar of Canadian foreign policy, Kirton pioneered the complex neo-realist theory of Canada’s emergence as a principal power in the world through his major books, Canada as a Principal Power and Canadian Foreign Policy in a Changing World.