Friends and Enemies presents a collection of essays on Canadian foreign policy written by J.L. Granatstein, one of the leading political and military historians in the country. The essays cover a period primarily from the Second World War through to the early 2000s and examine policy under prime ministers Mackenzie King, Louis St. Laurent, John Diefenbaker, Lester Pearson, and Pierre Trudeau.

These essays are not theoretical; instead, they are narrative accounts based on interviews and extensive research in archives across Canada, the United States, and Britain. The collection addresses important topics such as peacekeeping and Canada-US relations, as well as multiculturalism and foreign policy, the Cold War, and Canada-Soviet relations. Written over many years, the essays reveal how Granatstein's views shifted as he reacted to altered conditions in Canada, Canadian alliances, and the world situation.

Offering rich and masterful insight into the events that shaped our understanding of Canadian foreign policy, Friends and Enemies allows readers and students of history and political science to examine events from a sharply pointed perspective.