It’s time for America’s allies to step up

Herbiv0r · Jan 23, 2012

Ottawa Citizen>Blogs >News>Defence Watch
U.S. Allies Such As Canada Should Take Step Up And Take Up the Slack in Defence As the U.S. Tries to Save Money

BY COLIN KENNY
Liberal Senator
American taxpayers have shelled out trillions of dollars over the years to provide the kind of stability that Canadians and other allies need to prosper in an interdependent world.

The Americans have certainly made military mistakes â€“ Vietnam and Iraq come most immediately to mind. But as far back as the First World War the Americans have overridden isolationist sentiments at home to try to advance liberal western values abroad, at great cost in terms of money and lives lost.

Now they are pulling back.

The 2012 U.S. military budget is more than a trillion dollars â€“ 4.7 per cent of the country's GDP. Faced with an unsustainable national debt, President Barack Obama has pledged to cut nearly $500 billion over the next decade.

The message is clear: while Washington will continue to try to play the role of the world's top cop, it may not show up on the beat quite as often.

That's not a good thing, because for all America's international mistakes, the benefits to Canadians and other allies â€“ most of whom spend far smaller proportions of GDP on defence â€“ have been profound.

Unfortunately, the need for Washington to put its books in order in the coming years is also profound. Which means that Canada and other like-minded countries need to carefully assess how much damage the U.S. military pullback is likely to do in terms of lessening resistance to the real threats that are out there.

We must also be wary that if those threats appear to be becoming more unmanageable offshore, the Americans may decide that hunkering down at home beats trying to put out fires around the world. Isolationism might actually work for America, but it certainly won't work for any of its allies.

Would Canada and its military partners have come out on the winning side in two world wars had U.S. leaders not overcome isolationist instincts and joined the fight? Probably not. The Americans may have been late, but they proved essential.

Would European countries have survived the expansionist dreams of the Soviet Union during the Cold War if the Americans hadn't created the Marshall Plan and contributed more than all other nations combined to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization? No chance.

So what now if China decides to run the world, if North Korea or Iran go on a nuclear offensive, if Pakistan explodes â€¦ the list goes on.

International stability is essential to security and prosperity â€“ our security and prosperity, and the security and prosperity of other nations.

Tyranny cannot be allowed to prevail. Who among us would want our grandchildren to live under the thumb of people with the mentality of the current Chinese politburo? Of radical Islamists? If the West doesn't maintain sufficient capacity to deploy force to resist the unthinkable, our way of life is going to come to an end.

The Americans have deployed forces around the world, with 11 aircraft carrier groups in foreign waters and troops on the ground for 60 years in places like South Korea, Japan, and Germany, and they have now made a long-term commitment in Australia. That costs American taxpayers a lot of money, but it also promotes the kind of stability that a trading nation like Canada needs to feed our families.

Can we keep depending on the Americans to stand nose-to-nose with Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in the Strait of Hormuz, or push back at radical Islamists in Pakistan eager to expand their anti-western influence, or provide backbone to South Korea in its standoff with the crazed despotism of its northern neighbours?

We Canadians will never be able to project force that comes anywhere close to what the Americans can. But, collectively, America's allies need to start sharing more of the burden. Canada could show leadership here â€“ a number of our European allies are slashing their military budgets to cope with deficits that need to be dealt with.

Canada currently spends 1.3 per cent of GDP on defence. That ranks us far down on the list of NATO countries â€“ the NATO target is 2.0 per cent. Most Canadians know that we've been taking a bit of a free ride.

The current federal government has made some useful investments in the military in recent years. But 1.3 per cent doesn't cut it. Moreover, the Prime Minister's Office is hunting for new ways to cut spending. The Defence Department has always been an easy target because defence spending is discretionary, while a lot of federal spending is tied up in statutory expenditures.

It is in Canadians' own interests to do everything we can to maintain enough military power to play a significant role when events are tilting out of control on the international scene. We don't have to go to every war that Washington decides to wage, but we do have to be ready to contribute when it makes sense to us.

If America's allies walk away from the fight for a better world, you can be sure that there are plenty of people out there who don't share our values who will be pleased to fill the void.

U.S. Allies Such As Canada Should Take Step Up And Take Up the Slack in Defence As the U.S. Tries to Save Money | Ottawa Citizen
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Time to eat your peas, friends.

reggie221 · Jan 23, 2012

canada will take military action in 2012

Johnny Cash · Jan 23, 2012

Hmmm let me think about it.
NO!

Herbiv0r · Jan 23, 2012

I don't recall that being proposed as a question.

Johnny Cash · Jan 23, 2012

Herbiv0r said:

I don't recall that being proposed as a question.
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"It’s time for America’s allies to step up"

Is it a suggestion? The answer is still no.
Is it a piece of advice? The answer is still no.
Is it an order? Then the answer is fuck you.

Herbiv0r · Jan 23, 2012

Johnny Cash said:

Is it an order?
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It's a prediction. You worthless allies will contribute because you need us and we don't need you.

Johnny Cash · Jan 23, 2012

Herbiv0r said:

It's a prediction. You worthless allies will contribute because you need us and we don't need you.
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Alright, guess we'll find some new allies.

Herbiv0r · Jan 23, 2012

Johnny Cash said:

Alright, guess we'll find some new allies.
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Should have left you for the nazis.

I think you'll find good company with the Muslims, once they swallow Europe whole.

Johnny Cash · Jan 23, 2012

Herbiv0r said:

Should have left you for the nazis.

I think you'll find good company with the Muslims, once they swallow Europe whole.
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Have fun not being at war when your government stops going to war.
I'm sure I will, I love kebab.

Herbiv0r · Jan 23, 2012

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0nOtT1QUsIE]The Muslim plan to take over Europe (Destroy Europe from inside) - YouTube[/ame]

Johnny Cash · Jan 23, 2012

Lol, the Muslim plan, as if there's a mastermind Muslim somewhere regulating our immigration policies.

Herbiv0r · Jan 23, 2012

Did you watch the video? The inferior people known as the white European reproduces 4x less the rate as their Muslim counterparts. There will be a Muslim majority in Europe in the foreseeable future. Good for them, they are the superior of the two, after all.

tharedhead · Jan 23, 2012

I'm sure Mauritius will step up....

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2011/mar/07/mauritius-healthcare-education

Second, unlike many other small countries, Mauritius has decided that most military spending is a waste. The US need not go as far: just a fraction of the money that America spends on weapons that don't work against enemies that don't exist would go a long way toward creating a more humane society, including provision of healthcare and education to those who cannot afford them.
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Johnny Cash · Jan 23, 2012

Herbiv0r said:

Did you watch the video? The inferior people known as the white European reproduces 4x less the rate as their Muslim counterparts. There will be a Muslim majority in Europe in the foreseeable future. Good for them, they are the superior of the two, after all.
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Let me quote a Dutch musician here:
"Religies komen en gaan, dus vanwaar die verontwaardiging over de opkomst van de Islam? Christenen domineerden, straks iets anders. We denken verder te gaan terwijl er in feite niets verandert."

The basic translation of that is: "Religions come and go, so why the outrage about the rise of Islam? Christians dominated, something else in the future. We think we're proceeding while in fact nothing is changing."

An increase in Muslim population doesn't change anything about who I am. I have no concerns.

PS: The man in your video was not advocating Muslims "taking over" Europe. he was simply advocating incorporation of Muslims in European societies.

Herbiv0r · Jan 23, 2012

That's because your government trained you from birth to assume the position.

Johnny Cash · Jan 23, 2012

Herbiv0r said:

That's because your government trained you from birth to assume the position.
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What position?

Herbiv0r · Jan 23, 2012

Of inferiority. You have no control over your government. You will continue to be America's lap dog and get taken over by the Arabs. The remaining white women in Eurostan will be sporting burqas.

Johnny Cash · Jan 23, 2012

Herbiv0r said:

Of inferiority. You have no control over your government. You will continue to be America's lap dog and get taken over by the Arabs. The remaining white women in Eurostan will be sporting burqas.
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Haha, we have much more control over our government than the Americans do. MUCH more.

Herbiv0r · Jan 23, 2012

Yes. Because we carry your weight. Not anymore. It's time to come out in the real world and put up or shut up.

redeyeninja · Jan 23, 2012

[quote name='"Herbiv0r"']
It's a prediction. You worthless allies will contribute because you need us and we don't need you.[/quote]

At this point in history, America is the retarded step child. We are quickly becomming Canada's Mexico.

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