[Newsbot]

Title: War could hit North American soil this century: expert
Category: World
Posted By: Hyack
Date: 2011-06-12 21:47:33
Canadian

[martin14]

$1:

For Canada, diminished American power and increased American vulnerability to attack should �destabilize the long-held, implicit strategic assumption that the American superpower � theretofore unrivalled � will almost certainly defend the northern part of the continent should Canada come under attack.

�A U.S. more preoccupied with serious retaliation or even pre-emption by an enemy on the home front will demand far greater seriousness of performance from Canada in respect of investments in strategic capabilities.

Our CKA poster Bart has been saying this for years, all the while the lefties are cheering the slow decay of the USA.

Be careful what you wish for...

[Gunnair]

Sky is falling too...

[QBall]

This isn't medieval times were the best way to increase wealth is to concur your neighbors. Economic might is more important than military might. China is probably the only country around that has enough military muscle to attack North America, but why would they want to attack their best customers and kill their economy? Same goes with Russia, Brazil, Venezuela, etc. North Korea is your biggest threat because their economy is so far down the toilet I don't see how you could make it any worse. While they have the technology to launch an attack against North America it's doubtful their technology could actually hit a target. I'd be more worried about those that have nothing to lose as opposed to those who have the capability but not the will.

[BartSimpson]

QBall QBall:

This isn't medieval times were the best way to increase wealth is to concur your neighbors. Economic might is more important than military might. China is probably the only country around that has enough military muscle to attack North America, but why would they want to attack their best customers and kill their economy? Same goes with Russia, Brazil, Venezuela, etc. North Korea is your biggest threat because their economy is so far down the toilet I don't see how you could make it any worse. While they have the technology to launch an attack against North America it's doubtful their technology could actually hit a target. I'd be more worried about those that have nothing to lose as opposed to those who have the capability but not the will.

None of that has any impact on matters of military imperatives.

Germany and France went to war with each other multiple times in spite of the the fact that each was the other's #1 trading partner and that each of their economies were massively impacted by the various wars.

[BartSimpson]

I've long said that Canada needs to be able to provide for its own defense because you're always just one US Presidential election away from having to go it on your own. The current Presidnet, IMHO, is a portent of exactly that paradigm.

He has a clear antipathy towards America's Commonwealth partners and his sleights to the UK are becoming regular and obvious. His sleights to Canada are less obvious simply for the fact that Obama is virtually ignoring Canada as compared to recent Presidents of the past.

Obama has also set in motion the degrading of the US Navy to a littoral self-defense force absent the practical ability to project power. His plan of reducing us to four carrier battle groups means that we could see as few as two such groups capable of action at given times and those two groups will need to stay close to the USA to defend it.

The mention of the Northwest passage is of import because a future US President may well sit aside and allow China or the European Union to assert military force to open that seaway in the face of impotent Canadian opposition. In other words, a President similar to Obama...or perhaps even a 2nd term Obama...may sit back and let a foreign power attack Canada over this passage because Canada foolishly signed the UN Law of the Sea Treaty and is supposed to open that passage to international shipping. That would be his excuse to sit on his hands while Canada deals with European or Asian forces in that passage. The resulting destabilization of Canada could even prove politically rewarding for such a President.

But that's all speculation.

What is *not* speculative is the fact that a properly outfitted CF with the ability not just to defend Canada, but with the ability to bring a war to any aggressor's doorstep will not need to worry about what the US does or does not do.

Canadians who depend on an undependable ally for their security are fools. Period.

[herbie]

We can sweat when some country starts building ice-breaking landing craft. Or when one with a long range missile is looney enough to waste it on something in Canada.

[DanSC]

Two questions:

1. Who would be invading Canada?

2. Why would the USA tolerate having these invaders as neighbors?

[BartSimpson]

DanSC DanSC:

Two questions:

1. Who would be invading Canada?

Let's see, you've got the second largest country on the planet and it's virtually polluted with valuable resources and (absent a US alliance) it's all barely defended. You're kind of like the richest house on the block and everyone knows you've got money and jewelry just laying around the house and it's all protected by the international equivalent of:



Remove the USA from the equation and your question is better rephrased as, who wouldn't want to invade Canada?

DanSC DanSC:

2. Why would the USA tolerate having these invaders as neighbors?

Lack of money. Lack of interest. Lack of loyalty to our allies. We could be busy with a civil war. We could be busy with a war in or with Mexico. Etc.

A civil war in the US could provide some foreign powers an opportnity for adeventures in Canada and elsewhere in the Americas just the same as the last US civil war opened the door to a French invasion of Mexico.

[Wada]

When it comes to our resourses their is no one with more interest than the US of A.

[DanSC]

Wada Wada:

When it comes to our resourses their is no one with more interest than the US of A.

Shhh! Don't tell them about our secret plans!

[andyt]

Harper is already on the case: http://ca.news.yahoo.com/blogs/canada-politics/threatening-forces-harper-called-canada-resist-conservative-convention-175102678.html

Fixed

[DanSC]

andyt andyt:

Harper is already on the case: http://ca.news.yahoo.com/blogs/canada-politics/threatening-forces-harper-called-canada-resist-conservative-convention-175102678.ht

[CommanderSock]

If the USA really was seen as unable to provide support for us, we could build nukes. That pretty much ends any speculation of invasion as mutually assured destruction is not an outcome any invader would consider as feasible reality.

[QBall]

BartSimpson BartSimpson:

QBall QBall:

This isn't medieval times were the best way to increase wealth is to concur your neighbors. Economic might is more important than military might. China is probably the only country around that has enough military muscle to attack North America, but why would they want to attack their best customers and kill their economy? Same goes with Russia, Brazil, Venezuela, etc. North Korea is your biggest threat because their economy is so far down the toilet I don't see how you could make it any worse. While they have the technology to launch an attack against North America it's doubtful their technology could actually hit a target. I'd be more worried about those that have nothing to lose as opposed to those who have the capability but not the will.

None of that has any impact on matters of military imperatives.

Germany and France went to war with each other multiple times in spite of the the fact that each was the other's #1 trading partner and that each of their economies were massively impacted by the various wars.

That was then, this is now. Considering the financial crisis many of Europe's nations are in now do you really think the ones that are surviving would want to shoot themselves in the foot by invading a neighbour?

China is invading the U.S., but it's doing it economically rather than by military force. Welcome to superpower conflict in the 21st century.

China ratings house says US defaulting: report
http://ca.news.yahoo.com/china-ratings- ... 09883.html