John Chuckman
SERIES OF COMMENTS POSTED TO AN ARTICLE IN CBC NEWS
“Canada 'slightly delinquent' on defence spending, Trump says at NATO gathering”
NATO defends us from nothing.
Russia threatens no one and is indeed busy with massive peaceful economic projects in its North and East. Besides, as I've said, it has cut its military budget recently.
NATO serves to occupy Europe, a great potential competitor of the United States, and keep itself central to Europe’s affairs.
The United States uses hype about Russia to keep the arrangement going.
NATO also serves as a company store for the United States to dump costly military goods on its allies.
NATO has several other purposes for the United States, none of which is of any importance to Canada.
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A comment below says, “It WOULD be reassuring to know that we have some means of defending our Arctic waters at the very least”
Guarding from whom?
The only likely aggressor there is indeed the United States, and we could never defend ourselves against them, no matter how much we spent.
Russia already has 53% of the entire Arctic coastline, and it is busy with massive development projects there.
The last thing Russia would be interested in is more Arctic, from Canada or anyone else. It literally has years and years of Arctic projects lined up.
However, please note Trump's recent intense interest in Greenland. He went so far as to try pressuring Denmark’s government to sell it to him.
With a country 9,000 kilometers long, the last thing Russia needs is more territory.
It's simply an absurd concept.
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It is interesting to note that Putin has cut Russian military spending significantly recently.
And it was always just a fraction of what America spends. On the order of a tenth.
Putin feels, I believe, Russia's latest very advanced defensive weapons are adequate to carry them for some time while the country pursues expanding business and infrastructure for future prosperity. They are building highways, railroads, gas pipelines, bridges, port facilities, icebreakers, floating nuclear power plants, developing and prospecting the Northern Sea’s vast shores, plus many other activities.
Now, there's a leader.
Of course, he isn't bombing people in a half dozen places like Trump is either. Or pushing coups in another half dozen. Or ordering war-like sanctions across half the planet.
READERS MAY ENJOY:
https://chuckmanwordsincomments.wordpress.com/2018/07/13/john-chuckman-comment-trump-walk-away-from-nato-why-it-will-not-happen-even-if-he-has-the-authority-which-is-not-clear-natos-changed-purposes-serve-american-interests-so-why-shouldnt-it-pay/
https://chuckmanwordsincomments.wordpress.com/2019/06/05/john-chuckman-comment-d-day-commemoration-and-the-current-state-of-the-nato-alliance-no-such-thing-as-a-forever-alliance-needs-and-interests-of-countries-change-important-comparisons-of-of-d-da/
