Friday, November 8, 2013

Canada Should Obtain Nuclear Weapons

I understand the small politics that will undermine Canada's national security.  This post is not concerned with what we will do but what we should do.

As we wallow in our media induced self loathing the world doesn't cease to turn.  The shadows are gathering and lengthening as the post American night approaches. 

In response to Iran's nuclear capability Saudi Arabia has reportedly sought nuclear weapons from Pakistan.  I believe this is the Saudi way of easing into the position of being a nuclear power.  The idea that nuclear weapons are on order isn't credible.  Look at a map and see what is smack in between Pakistan and Saudi Arabia.  Iran isn't going to let a nuclear weapon that could be used against them just float past.  Saudi Arabia has the weapons now.  They wouldn't have said anything at all if they didn't have one already. 

Why is this happening?  America is weak.  Its not just about its weak and untrustworthy president.  Its military is weak.  Its economy is weak.  America seems as likely to turn on its allies as it is to surrender the field to its enemies.  Who can rely on American power for protection today? 

The Saudis certainly don't feel secure with American friendship and neither should we.

The decision by the US President to indefinitely delay the Keystone XL pipeline is effectively the same as a cancellation.  An enormous consumer of oil, this move highlights the irrational nature of that government to follow a philosophy of cutting off their nose to spite their face.  They lie to and spy on their own people, so we should expect no better.

Can we expect them to defend us from aggression?  What could we do if they decided to take a piece of Canada for themselves?  Lets say Southern Ontario below the 49th parallel?  Just a small piece.  They still half joke about doing just that.  They could make up any justification.  Global Warming can be drafted to excuse any dastardly action for example.  Perhaps we would become Poland in a World War 3 at best. 

The way to use a nuclear weapon is simply to have them, not detonate them.  The idea being that any aggression towards Canada would hurt the aggressor far more than anything they could possibly gain from it.  We can be sure that America isn't going to punish anybody on our behalf.

In a way nuclear weapons are a bit like gold.  You don't have to spend it, just have it.  The mere fact that you have gold in the vault allows you to issue paper backed by it.  A nuclear weapon in our vault would give significant backing to our diplomatic currency.  Canada's value as an eternal entity would further solidify.  India and Pakistan have managed to avoid using them on each other, so I'm sure we can manage these devices safely ourselves. 

With more and more dubious actors like Iran and North Korea in possession of nuclear weapons and our old nuclear ally the United States generally degrading in almost every way, Canada should at least consider becoming a nuclear power. 

We've had it easy during the American century.  Our foreign adventures of the past seem to have been a kind of trading of favors.  We help you now and you help us later.  We can't expect that to be honoured indefinitely.  Canada needs to start thinking about looking after its own security. 

6 comments:

Anon1152 said...

First, I should admit that I'm not exactly against your suggestion in principle. I'm "pro-nuclear" (though with a lot of caveats). I think Canada should have nuclear powered ships (e.g., Ice breakers, warships) AND, most importantly, nuclear powered submarines.

But...

I think we may have signed away our right to nuclear weapons when we signed the Non-Proliferation Treaty.

Also, having nuclear weapons makes one more of a target for nuclear weapons. Surely the USA and USSR had ICBMs aimed at each other's ICBM silos, for example. (I think France limits it's nuclear missiles to its submarines, which I think is probably a good idea).

Seriously though, do you think Iran or North Korea or even Russia is going to threaten Canada with a nuclear weapon?

Anonymous said...

Ezra...I could not agree with you more .Any suggestion of Canada aquiring nuclear weapons would send the lefties into an apoplectic fit.LOL Your comments about the US defending Canada are right on......there is no way the Muslim President will go to war on our behalf

Unknown said...

@ 1152: I'm looking way down the road. We signed the non-proliferation treaty and NATO and all sorts of things in line with the status quo. It's not an outside possibility that the status quo will hold for hundreds of years. I don't see the US ever paying down its debt. I don't see the US behaving honorably towards us in a dark and sad future where Russia Dominates Europe and the Middle East while China Dominates everywhere else.

It doesn't matter if the nukes are in underwater silos under the Arctic Icecap or in a suitcase or a school bus. The idea is not to use them but to bargain with them. When it comes to violence its too late. An aggressor is going to want what little infrastructure we have in place. They would invade to seize what we have and take it for themselves. An outright nuclear attack invalidates any reason to invade. A nuclear response also invalidates any reason to invade. Don't forget that countries that could be a threat are also already nuclear powers anyway. In a world where NATO is useless then all treaty's and their purposes are also invalid. We could be talking centuries or decades but the world change very quickly too.

The parallels with Gold are still interesting. Simply having a Nuclear weapon in a vault puts us in a different class of diplomacy. Just as more paper can be printed than there is actual gold in reserve, more can be made of a single immobile nuclear explosive device to give even great powers like the US pause. Iran and Pakistan's continued existence is a testament to that.

My idea is to be like the dove. Doves are peaceful and docile because they taste horrible. Predators know to avoid them. Canada would be very tasty to a predator and I want to change that in real and affordable way. Nuclear ships and subs aren't going to change that balance enough.

Unknown said...

@ Chambers: Alex. I'm Alex not Ezra, but I love Ezra. Thanks for stopping by.

Unknown said...

http://youtu.be/qMkYlIA7mgw

Unknown said...

We've got The Bomb eh.

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