Mummy, why aren’t you going to get The Walrus* anymore?
Well, I was disappointed with it. I wanted it to be better than it was – more in-depth, more rigorous, you know?
Yes.
Plus, Dad bought me Foreign Policy for Christmas, instead.
Mummy.
Yes?
What’s foreign policy?
Do you mean Foreign Policy, the magazine? Or foreign policy, the concept.
[A beat.]
Foreign policy, the concept.
Good stuff – always go for the big question straightaway. You know how there are many more countries than Canada in the world?
Yes.
Well, foreign policy describes the way the countries talk to each other. It’s sort of like at school – you have some friends who know all your secrets, and some who don’t.
Oh. So what is it called if Canada wanted to talk to Nova Scotia? That’s a province, not a country.
That’s domestic policy.
Ok! So that’s like when I talk to you or Dad.
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*The Canadian current-affairs magazine.
Whither Earthlings 