[quidnunc]

Harvey M. Sapolsky is Professor of Public Policy and Organization in the Department of Political Science and Director of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Security Studies Program.

[mtbopfuyn]

It is a shocking fact, because Americans are used to thinking that Canadians are our friends

Up until about 9/12. What Canada and the rest of the world doesn't understand is it's England this week and quite possibly them next week. These terrorists aren't going to only target US allies but any soft target. Canada, by it's own inaction, is definitely one of the easiest targets in the Western world.

[timsbella]

The CBC (our publicly funded liberal MSM) is hugely to blame for the shift. A few weeks back the Fraser Institute released the finding of a study pointedly showing how anti-American their reporting is. My tax dollars are siphoned off to this effort.

This aside, we need more conservative support from the US in our elections. Seems like your libs get firmly behind our libs and we're screwed. The last prime minister who was firmly behind the US was Mulroney in the Reagan years and the MSM buried him.

A plea for a little help next time around - and recall it's a minority government so with any luck that will come sooner than later.

[podkane]

the SOUTH PARK movie warned us about them YEARS ago....

[AbeKrieger]

Canada: America's Bad Toupee.

[ncountylee]

Many Canadians agree with his position. The Liberals should be made to pay some price for policies that ultimately hurt Canada.

[headsonpikes]

Anti-Americanism is the unstated essence of the modern Canadian identity.

Unstated? Hardly.

The g*dd*mned Liberal Party has been beating the anti-American drum since Walter Gordon more than 40 years ago.

The sonofab*tch Trudeau did his best to kill actual Canadian values and replace them with a 'progressive' ideology.

A substantial minority of Canadians have never been seduced by Liberal lies, so there is still a kernel of hope that Trudeau's scheme will ultimately be defeated.

A small desperate hope perhaps, but that is the nature of kernels.

[Paleo Conservative]

Low grade anti-Americanism on Canada's part is surely tolerable. It is probably the glue that holds Canada together, and Americans should want Canada to stick together. Otherwise, the U.S. might be paying for the Maritime provinces and trying to figure out what to do with Quebec.

No problem. Use Quebec to replace Vieques.

[Alberta's Child]

This is a terrible article. The author makes a basic premise about Canada being "hostile" to the U.S., then proceeds to support his argument by listing a bunch of international treaties Canada is promoting/supporting -- treaties that will have absolutely NO IMPACT on the United States unless we ourselves sign on to these agreements.

In the 1960s, Canada began to drastically reduce its military, which until then had always been at Britain's side, if not America's. Canada's NATO contribution, never large, faded to insignificant long before the Berlin Wall came down in November, 1989. It withdrew its soldiers and airmen from Europe entirely at the end of the Cold War.

The author also overlooks some basic historical facts about Canada. Canada as we know it wasn't even really a "nation" until the 1960s (the maple leaf insignia on their flag wasn't adopted until 1964). Before that, it functioned in many ways as if it were still a British colony. In fact, to this day the Canadian government still functions in some ways as a part of the old British empire -- the Queen of England is the ceremonial head of state, and a Governor General is still appointed to serve as her representative in Ottawa.

Canada's diminished military capability is less a function of its aversion to military matters than its structure as a "confederation" of provinces rather than a "nation" along the lines of the United States. Ironically, Canada today probably functions in a manner that adheres more closely than the U.S. to the ideals envisioned by the Founding Fathers of the United States back in the 1790s. Most of the power is vested in the provincial governments, and the Federal government in Ottawa -- despite its corruption and excessive taxation -- is largely incapable of governing the nation as a whole.

[Alexander Rubin]

I'd also point out our army isn't 60, 000; it's under 50, 000.

[Pippin]

That yank don't know nothing!

[Pippin]

I was to Saskatchewan just last month, I I didn't feel any sort of hostility towards Anmericans there,you must mean thoes folks in Eastern Canada, eh?

[Snickersnee]

"Canada's NATO contribution, never large... "

Forgive me for nit-picking, but at the foundation of NATO and for several years thereafter, Canada had the second-largest tactical air force in W. Europe after the US. They also had a big part in keeping the sea lanes of communication between No. Am. and Europe clear by ASW and convoy escort in the event the balloon went up. A significant contributor by any lights.

[MARKUSPRIME]

Why dont the western provinces just join the United States. At least as a state their voice could be heard with electoral votes instead of dreaming of the conservatives taking power again.

[M. Dodge Thomas]

"Canada's anti-Americanism, so necessary for its independence, should not find an international stage..."

The word Mr. Sapolsky is looking for, but can't seen to find, is "Puppet Regime" - which is what we used to call the vassal states of the old USSR which were required never to take any position in international affairs which was not exactly aligned with Moscow's. And his complaint isn’t actually with Canada, it’s with the entire rest of the world, which is opposed (along with Canada) to the US position on the two items he mentions.

It makes a negligible strategic difference if Canada holds these opinions, and it’s just silly to suggest antagonizing out largest trading partner because they do not agree with us on every detail of our foreign policy - especially as these opinions are not unique to Canada, but rather are unique to the US.

We may find it highly annoying that the rest of the world does not agree with us on these questions - but it’s the position we choose to take, it should not surprise us if others hold different options, and it serves our interests poorly to suppose that we are a position to vote off the island everyone who does not agree with us in detail.

[from occupied ga]

"Blame Canada"

[surely_you_jest]

Okay. I've taken more than my fair share of cheap shots at Canada, and Canadians, on this forum for a while now. All in a post-adolescent form of lame humor kind of way.

There is something about this post, and the responses from some folks who appear to be Canadian, that strikes a chord with me.

So. It is time, I think, for Canadians to stop apologizing for their government, and their "national opinion", if there is such a thing (anywhere - Canada, here, anywhere - it is a really ephemeral concept), and do something about it. I, and I am not alone here, am tired of hearing that "it", whatever "it" happens to be this week, is the fault of those assholes in Ottawa, or in Ontario and Quebec, and that the rest of the Canadian populace ought to be held blameless, by America and Americans, for the most recent outrage.

America, the nation, is and has been taking hits from the internationally minor State to its north. You have had a lot of historical goodwill to draw upon, and so we let it happen. We have been reasonably decent about it all, up until now. But this, frankly, is really getting old. If Canada were, for example, Haiti, would we put up with all of this? No. But have we taken down your government or your nation? No. Have we threatened to do this? Again, no.

Canadian FRiends - it is time for you to regain control over your own government, or at least stop making excuses for it. It is what it is. Act, or move elsewhere.

[metermike]

I have lived in Canada all my life,on both sides of the country east and west.Canada is not anti-american.However the article is right we do have a identity issue.I would say that Canadians do like the roll of peace keepers.This is why we did not send troops to Iraq.(correction 26 soldiers embedded with units sent to Iraq)We did not see the connection and still don't to September 11 attacks.When the U.S.A government said it was al-queda and they were in Afghanistan we sent thousand of our troops to help.During the Gulf war we also helped your cause but only because it was to liberate Kuwait.If it were extended to ousting Saddam at that time i am sure we would not have gone at all.We do have our problems Canada-U.S.A.Our option not to participate in your missile defense program has little impact on you.You Can launch From Alaska in the north.I travel to the U.S frequently and love to visit. Americans are very frequent visitors in Edmonton Alberta as well as in London Ontario both places i lived for extended periods of time.I never heard of any problems before.This writer watched the movie Canadian bacon one too many times.when our minority government collapses next session and a new one is formed this time conservative, our relations will improve but we still are a sovereign nation and are entitled to our policies and treaties.One last thought, there was something about 36,000 illegals in Canada.In the U.S.A that number is about 5,000,000+.

[CWOJackson]

"It is time to give Canada some attention and a bit of a warning. Canada is easy to squeeze. Just as we know where Arctic blasts come from, Canada should know where its own economic prosperity originates."

Way past time.

[Modok]

Canada, I have heard of that country before. Is it an important country and where is it located? There are thousands of square miles of unclaimed bushland to the north of the USA. They told me that was where Canada was but I think it's just open country that nobody owns.

[Charlespg]

bump for later