Teddy Roosevelt used to say that one should " walk softly, but carry a big stick", but the Bulldog, the beaver, the Kaola and the Kiwi are more about the show, more about grandstanding. There is little to be gained by this when the USA is more concerned about ISIL; China and Japan are at loggerheads about some tiny islands; India's Modi is getting his feet wet; Germany is more concerned with its trade and other deals with Russia and Brazil's Dilma has just eneded a bruising election campaign.
Joe Clark used to talk about our common "nordicity" with Russia/USSR. Under Harper this has been frozen as he trolls for votes, while neglecting the plight of missing women, especially among the First Nations; doing very little on climate change ( even as the USA and China sign an agreement to reduce emissions) and ramping up the call for an extended war in the Middle East.