Robert George Pelley

The Marlboro Mentality Robert George Pelley

This is a political fiction, a future history, taking place perhaps 20 or 25 years from now. It is however grounded in today's hard reality. The starting point is the mindset, the mentality and the myths that drive American relations with Canada and with the other nations of the world. Those, cigarette smokers or not, who remember the "Marlboro Man" will understand the essence of the image. It is also a tale of how Canada manages to live under shadow of this ungraceful giant. US relations with the Chinese are dangerous and unpredictable and those with the Russians are perhaps worse. The American relations with Europe are at best those of a love-less marriage. The Middle East is increasingly a tinderbox that might explode at any time. An ex-Vandoo officer finds himself unexpectedly negotiating with Hezbollah terrorists. The Canadian Embassy in Moscow finds itself caught up in Russian and American enmity. Momentous plans being made in Ottawa, in Jerusalem, in Moscow, in Washington, in Beirut and in Beijing. In the middle of all this activity, the Canadian government of the day has to deal with its own intrigues. The prime minister dies at the wrong time and is replaced by someone universally thought to be the perfect loser. American troops are massed along the Canadian border. US warships have already invaded the sovereignty of Canadian waters and an invasion by land is imminent. The RCAF is excluded from Norad. The Navy is badly equipped to protect the North-West Passage from the Americans. Canada is, alas, totally defenceless, unless.....!This novel is at the same time a tale of possible war, a sociological study, and a great love story - with a surprise ending!