Posted on 07/10/2018 3:55:26 PM PDT by 2ndDivisionVet
Canada is a welsher state.
(Hold your outrage, that adjective has nothing to do with the Welsh.)
I am speaking specifically about this country’s financial contribution to NATO, the international alliance formed after World War II, constructed around the principle of collective defence. Article 5 of the establishing charter declares that “an attack on one is an attack on all.”
Originally and for four decades the thrust of NATO’s raison d’être was deterring Soviet aggression. With the end of the Cold War, NATO shifted toward helping former Soviet-bloc countries embrace democracy and the market economy.
But now it’s come full circle. Once again, under the militancy of President Vladimir Putin — annexing a chunk of Ukraine, sending troops into the Georgian civil war, intervening on the side of the Assad regime in Syria — Russia is a regional belligerent. Global even, in an era of cyber meddling and mischief and electoral interference.
With leaders of the 29 member nations meeting in Brussels on Wednesday and Thursday, the agenda includes countering that Russian bellicosity, introducing a new training mission in Iraq and counterterrorism support for Afghanistan, Jordan and Tunisia.
President Donald Trump, however, clearly intends to pick up where he left off at their last confab a year ago — knocking ally heads together to shame them into meeting dollar commitments made three years ago (actually the target was first set in 2002): contributing two per cent of GDP toward spending on national defence within a decade.
The whole world was bracing for grenades Trump was expected to toss at the summit, against some of America’s staunchest friends. Before leaving Washington on Tuesday, the president got in a couple of pre-emptive shots across the bow. “NATO has not treated us fairly but I think we’ll work something out. We have paid far too much and they have paid for too little.”
Meaning Europe and Canada.
Less antagonistic than previous declarations Trump has made about NATO allies, such as last month characterizing the U.S. as “the piggy bank that (NATO) likes to take from”. He also recently sent hectoring letters to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and other NATO leaders complaining that too many countries were not humping their fair share of the collective cost and investing too little in their own militaries, a commitment of tax dollars that just doesn’t square well with domestic populations.
Trump wrote that it will “become increasingly difficult to justify to American citizens why some countries continue to fail to meet our shared collective security commitments.”
It’s painful to say this but Trump is essentially correct.
The U.S. provides most of the NATO muscle in funding and troops, shouldering nearly three-quarters of the alliance’s operating budget. NATO’s current annual operating budget is $1.38 billion, $252 million for the civilian budget, and $704 million for its Security Investment Program.
The president somewhat conflates — and misleads — by conflating national defence spending with NATO support. But the point is fundamentally well taken. The combined defence budget of NATO nations has grown by $14.4 billion since 2016, with all but one of the countries increasing their spending and 26 contributing troops to NATO missions. “Sixteen — but not Canada — are on track to spend the NATO target of two per cent of their gross domestic product on defence by 2024,” notes a primer for the summit released by the Canadian Global Affairs Institute.
Canada, sturdy participant in combat and security operations, including a 12-year boots on the ground campaign in Afghanistan and a Canadian lieutenant-general who directed the air campaign that toppled the Gadhafi regime in 2011, is in the middling middle of defence spending, currently at 1.29 per cent of GDP, with a projected target of 1.4 per cent by 2026.
On his way to Brussels, Trudeau doubled down on his Trump resistance by reiterating that Canada has no plans to almost double-up on its defence budget, maintaining that the two per cent target is “an easy shorthand” but also “a limited tool” for measuring a nation’s commitment to NATO.
In his usual rhetorically obtuse way, Trudeau said: “There are always perspectives on doing more, and that’s fine, that’s an important conversation to have. But the reality is, the way NATO has been having a meaningful impact wherever it goes continues to be a really important thing, and that’s certainly at the heart of the message I’ll be bringing.”
Trudeau made his remarks whilst visiting Canadian troops at a military base outside Riga, Latvia. A clever photo-op moment, jamming that drop-in on the eve of the NATO summit. Canada has 455 troops deployed to NATO’s mission in Latvia — the alliance’s buffering response to Russia’s annexation in Ukraine — and heads the seven-country battle group. Trudeau further announced that Canada is extending its Latvia mission for another four years, through to 2023, and boosting troop numbers to 540. The prime minister can burnish Canada’s international engagement by pointing to the new Mali mission, which is a UN peacekeeping operation.
Still, there is treasure in blood, potentially — which the Trudeau government has tried mightily to avoid — and treasure in hard dollars defence spending. And if Canada, an original NATO founding member, truly values the alliance in a turbulent contemporary world, then it needs to pony up its proportional share, along with the rest of the laggards. Canada loves multinational alliances; Trump, not so much. Only a year ago he called NATO “obsolete,” though he’s back off that rash dismissal. It’s ironic that some commentators with little appetite for NATO, even less stomach for military interventions — recoiling from Western geopolitical “interests” — actually found an unlikely ally in Trump’s initial NATO skepticism. The president has threatened to reduce the 70,000 American troops currently deployed on the continent if NATO members don’t live up to their spending avowals.
It should be noted, though, that even president Barack Obama urged Parliament: “NATO needs more Canada.”
European leaders were bracing for a showdown with Trump, amidst crises in Britain (Brexit) and Germany (migration and refugees).
Just as intriguing, from a Canadian perspective — insofar as we’re allowed a look-in — is how Trudeau and Trump will contend with each other in their first face-to-face since the disaster of the June G7 summit in Quebec City, wherein the president first agreed to a group communique on trade and then withdrew from it, calling the PM “dishonest” and “weak” in a Twitter tirade.
In any event, Trump seems more dazzled about his one-on-one sit-down in Helsinki next week with Putin. Putin he respects, NATO leaders he doesn’t. He’ll be travelling to the U.K. in between.
“I have NATO. I have the U.K., which is in somewhat turmoil. And I have Putin. Putin may be the easiest of them all. Who would think?”
Who indeed.
The Canadians will never do this, they remember their experiences with the British Army in WWI and WWII.
Waiting for auto tariffs. Hope Trudie really crashes on it.
Agreed. Why should we pay for the defense of Europe when Europe won’t
defend themselves from being over run by sub saharan and muslim trash.
Thank you kindly - Benton Fraser RCMP.
Your a doll Judy. Welcome to the states anytime. How many more years do you have left with the man twerp and can’t he be driven out?
We can get rid of him next year. I’m hoping he hurts himself badly doing yoga and has to pack it in earlier.
Yet they have to spend almost no money defending that vulnerable coastline, because they live next door to the biggest badass country on the planet who takes care of their defense for them.
We spend 54 percent of all federal discretionary spending on defense, and the Canadians snuggle like lambs under that umbrella for free. I wouldn't mind, but then they talk about their grand social programs with a holier than thou attitude. Gee, how can they afford all that?
A lot of people here think that trade with Canada is irrelevant. Did you know that Canada buys more from the US than any other country does. Canada is the only country that the US does not have a trade deficit with.
Canada has a population of 37 million and buys twice as much from US manufacturers as China does.
The #1 selling vehicle in Canada is the Ford F150 built in the USA.
There will be no winners in a trade war with your best customer.
Oh and there will be a winner. The US. I believe that ultimately Trump plans to coax auto plants south.
No offense if you are Canadian but the smug anti-American attitudes will cause us to force you to defend yourselves on your own dollar.
Google this “Canada superiority complex” to read more about offensive behavior toward America and Americans.
“We don’t need our soldiers there for that mess.”
If we don’t help, the euroweenies might lose.
No!
Annex anything West of Ontario, but give Vancouver to Washington State, they are the same super libs. However, Alberta is special. We will just make it Texas North. They talk a bit different than us Texans but those boys are Texans at heart. I worked with them for years in the oilfields around the world.
Give Quebec back to France if they will take it. What the hell do you do with New Newfoundland? Hell, just make it Maine I guess. The Northwest Territories go to Alaska along with their oil potential. The rest of Canada is barren rock but does have minerals and oil potential. The Eskimos lived there first, give it back.
“I will fault your politicians for one thing - and that is letting things go, completely unchallenged, for years. That goes mostly for the illegal immigration. Those slimy politicians have made it very difficult for the law to be enforced now.”
Judy, you broke the code! All of us, both sides of the border, have been completely ill-served by the people we have elected. And I blame our “media” for a lot of it, because they have played politics rather than being honest seekers of the truth. We’ve finally gotten Trump. You guys need to “off” Trudeau and get yourselves an equal to Trump, because in the entire Western Hemisphere, there a only two places free people can hope to live.
According to your own link US had an 8 Billion surplus with Canada. Your counting pass thru goods that are shipped thru Canadian ports for delivery to the US. Most of those goods are from China and should be counted as Chinese imports.
Canada sends over a million barrels of oil per day to the US at below world price. Without oil in the mix the US would have a 30 billion trade surplus with Canada
You would be wrong because the attitude is only displayed toward Americans. I spent 28 years in Washington. Worked closely with many many Canadians primarily rescuing dogs from LA. Still have lots of friends with dogs from me on fb. After that here in northern Michigan the tourist trade from Canada is huge. It is here that we find them to be filled with contempt for us. And on Twitter. The BC folk were much less invested in their superior attitude.
I’m going to get back to you later on a computer instead of a phone.
We tried to annex Canada twice (American Revolution and War of 1812) and it didn’t work out well for us.
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