FRIENDS AND ALLIES: Visiting U.S. President Barack Obama with Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper during a meeting on Parliament Hill in Ottawa, Canada, on February 19. On his first trip abroad since taking office, Obama talked with Harper on trade, the global economic crisis and the Afghan war (XINHUA/AFP)

The same description could well be applied to the relationship between Canada and the United States, although citizens in both countries would shy away from the chairman's vivid metaphor. Instead, they speak of shared political values, a common cultural heritage and "the world's longest undefended border."

Not surprisingly, John Kennedy said it best while addressing the Canadian Parliament in 1961: "Geography has made us neighbors. History has made us friends. Economics has made us partners. And necessity has made us allies. Those whom nature hath so joined together, let no man put asunder. What unites us is far greater than what divides us."

COURTESY OF FRED EDWARDS

It is not a relationship between equals, however. As the junior partner, Canada struggles to assert its identity as a sovereign nation while at the same time being ultra-sensitive to perceived slights from Washington.

So the decision by Barack Obama to make his first foreign visit to Canada-even though it lasted just seven hours-came as a great relief to Canadians, especially as George W. Bush had chosen Mexico as the destination for his first trip abroad.

Obama is actually more popular in Canada than at home, with an approval rating above 80 percent among Canadians, thousands of whom braved the February cold of Ottawa to catch a glimpse of the new American president.

But there was anxiety as well as snow in the air because of potential disagreement on issues ranging from the war in Afghanistan to climate change and economic protectionism.

On Afghanistan, the Canadian Government has announced its intention to end its combat mission there in 2011, but Obama is increasing American involvement and has clearly made Afghanistan a foreign policy priority. Since only four countries-the United States, Britain, Canada and the Netherlands-are doing the bulk of the fighting for NATO, would Obama pressure Ottawa to reconsider its decision to withdraw?

On climate change, Canada's Conservative government has until very recently resisted strong action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and even boasted of Canada's role as an "energy superpower" based on the massive hydrocarbon reserves in the oil sands of Alberta and Saskatchewan. Obama, however, was on record as saying he wanted to break American dependence on "dirty oil," such as that refined from the oil sands. Any restriction on U.S. oil imports would be a huge blow to the Canadian economy.