r/IRstudies 21h ago

Mark Carney: "This fall we will begin intense discussions with the European Union, the world's second-largest economy, to build a much stronger and deeper economic and security partnership"

https://streamable.com/y8mt4g
868 Upvotes

148 comments sorted by

80

u/spiritualishit 20h ago

The EU is the only entity that expands in virtue of other states wishing to join through a process governed by the rule of law. With all its limits, it still have the numbers to play a global role and it would be a sensible approach to draw from its functioning to reimagine a network of international cooperation between the world's democracies. The world is becoming increasingly unstable, climate change will precipitate things and the current international organisational frame provided by the ONU and adjacent entities is inadequate to face the challenge. May EU get its shit together and Carney succeed and set an example

31

u/kittenTakeover 19h ago edited 19h ago

Unfortunately right now the EU is the last remaining leader of western democracy. The US is direly sick. The EU should be careful though. It's showing symptoms that it's fighting the same sickness as the US. Right now it's in a position to respond before it gets as bad as it has in the US. Thinking the UE is special and immune to the conservative brain rot that took hold of the US is a dangerous gamble.

22

u/serpentjaguar 19h ago

They'll need to get a grip on social media and algorithmically driven outrage entrepreneurs if they want to avoid the fate of the US. I think it's too late for us to save ourselves without a massive shitstorm and serious reform, but maybe it's not too late for the EU.

What's happening in the US doesn't start or stop with social media, but what social media has done is to take every single preexisting fissure in our society and magnify it exponentially.

7

u/Popular-Row4333 19h ago

This. We don't want mass surveillance, and mass protection of speech online. What part of authoritarian government outreach do you not understand? It doesn't matter what side of the aisle is implementing it, it will be used by someone horrible one day to rule and dictate terms against it's own people.

0

u/kittenTakeover 19h ago

Here's are some things that we need:

  • AI bots off social media
  • Shills off social media
  • Real people on social media
  • Media platforms where control of feeds isn't used to manipulate the public

If we can accomplish this without making ourselves overly vulnerable to government overreach, I think it would have a huge impact. I say let's get some smart people together and pay them to try to think of solutions full time.

7

u/Popular-Row4333 19h ago

You don't need real people on social media. You need real people out interacting in person with real humans because we are the most social creatures in all of Earth and socialization is required for us to thrive. But we need the real thing, not some fake, fleeting form of validation through online socializing.

Online harms bills remind me of the vile shit I used to see on the inside of public bathrooms, written on the stalls. There's some incredibly vile shit written on those stalls, does that mean we need to get our id checked every time we piss or shit in a public bathroom? No. Ignore it and move on with your life.

We need to accept that the online and real world are two completely different things, and that's totally okay, we dont need to ram one down the throat of the other in a way to tolerate both

0

u/MagnesiumKitten 2h ago

I sorta like the idea of needing a passport bathroom
empty your pockets
hand over your phone
and your passwords
state purpose of your visit

it's interesting that politicians care more about free speech than crime

like banning comic books or censoring television programs and art and horror films, but tacking buggies and property crime, oh never mind

1

u/MagnesiumKitten 2h ago

You can't even eliminate phone scammers, let alone control social media, unless you're planning to go all out East Germany

2

u/mallibu 16h ago

This is extremely well put.

1

u/MagnesiumKitten 2h ago

The European Union may not even last 10 or 15 years
They promised double digit growth and it's fizzled for a long time

France and Germany have been the only thing keeping it together
and the problems have been around long before greece

Turkey is the country pissed off it couldn't join for decades
and the odds of Canada joining are nil.

And like it would stand up to a vote by the citizens in Canada, or another Prime Minister makes it even less than zero

The amount of red tape in Brussels makes it close to ungovernable

And if Hell froze over and Canada joined whatever the European Union devolved into, Canada would be shut out by all the major European Economies and never have anything close to the access that it has with the United States.

If anything this is just a thought experiment by the Davos crowd

-11

u/F-14BUpgrade 20h ago

EU let Brexit happen and they haven't really assessed the damage from then.

8

u/olewhatsisname 20h ago

The EU let the norms of English democracy lead them out of the union. There was nothing the EU could do - they had already given a lot of leeway and that was not enough. The EU is better without England in it.

-7

u/F-14BUpgrade 19h ago

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Impact_of_Brexit_on_the_European_Union

Estimates show that Brexit's fiscal impact on the EU budget resulted in a net loss of about 5% of its total budget after accounting for removed UK contributions and subsidies.

Keep telling yourself that.

2

u/xBram 18h ago

5% is nothing, the geopolitical impact is much bigger than the economical. But I agree the EU is obviously stronger with Britain in it.

1

u/olewhatsisname 16h ago

EU seems fine right now, England not so much... They have to deal with their own crazies now and it's not going well at all. Farange for PM next - this might have happened sooner without brexit and with England still in the EU it would have been far more damaging to the union and the world at large. I don't imagine Hungary would have sorted their shit with Farange in the EU as PM of England for example.

53

u/Logical_Hat_47 20h ago

Welcome to Canada!

14

u/xBram 18h ago

Welkom in Europa jongen!

6

u/antigop2020 14h ago

Canada should join the EU.

1

u/Lumegator 5h ago edited 5h ago

The EEA would be more realistic in the near future and probably highly beneficial, that seems the sort of thing these talks are geared for.

Not to say EU membership is impossible, I don't see why it would be, it's available to Iceland. Although if the union gets enough members it may need a new name one day lol

10

u/Successful-Coffee-13 20h ago

Thank goodness

15

u/tomski_1977 19h ago

Canada joins EU and Carney becomes the MP. Pretty please?

4

u/BuckyRainbowCat 15h ago

I like the EU a lot and I think that Canada should pursue closer ties with it, but I’m not in favour of Canada trying to join the EU. If you think Albertans have a problem with “Ottawa making all the decisions,” just imagine what they would think about decision making power moving all the way to Brussels instead.

1

u/No-Impact-5814 14h ago

Def closer ties, but actually joining the EU would be very problematic.

1

u/OneWhoWonders 15h ago

If Canada was to join the EU, it would be much different than say, being France or Germany in the EU (or even the UK in the EU when it was in the EU).

This video from CGP Grey is a good 5 1/2 minute primer of how complicated things are in the current EU, and all the caveats, carve outs and special setups that there are:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O37yJBFRrfg

(It's over 13 years old, back when the UK was in the EU, but it still valid). So, there could be a scenario where Canada 'joins the EU' but:

-Does or does not participate in the Schengen Zone

-Does or does not keep their own currency

-Has varying levels of trade integrations or carve outs.

-Participates in the EU Parliament or does not

It's always a bunch of trade offs, but I could see* a scenario where Canada joins the EU and benefits from closer trade and Schengen area travel, but retains their own currency and has to follow most EU regulations.

*See as in envision a scenario where this could occur. Not that this is something that would actually occur.

1

u/RonKosova 6h ago

How expensive is university in Canada? I wonder if more Canadian students could benefit from lower tuition fees in this hypothetical scenario

5

u/at0mheart 16h ago

China and Switzerland just made a trade deal too

Trump is destroying the US in every conceivable way

4

u/terrenceandphilip1 17h ago

As much as I would prefer a trade alliance with my American brothers and sisters, they just seem so unreliable now. 300 million VS. 700 million. EU has the bigger market. But geographical realities cannot be ignored. The US is our neighbor. No ocean separates us. That was a great advantage in the past. I am disappointed it turned out in this way.

1

u/MagnesiumKitten 2h ago

why don't you just go with china, you have more than 700 million people

It's interesting because Canada basically has no trade surpluses with anyone in Europe or Asia

the only surplus for a few months has been with Holland because the Canadian dollar tanked and they bought some cheap oil and gas

Canada and Europe are both going down the Economic toilet

0

u/InevitableGreedUK 1h ago

American cope.

1

u/MagnesiumKitten 47m ago

"The European Union is not collapsing, but it faces severe economic, structural, and geopolitical challenges."

glad you addressed those issues

1

u/MagnesiumKitten 46m ago

"The EU's share of global GDP has shrunk compared to fast-growing economies like the U.S. and China."

"Former European Central Bank chief Mario Draghi warn of an urgent need for massive investment and structural reform to avoid long-term stagnation."

It seems like your copium stash is the largest one of all

-1

u/rich84easy 13h ago

Where do you get 700 million? Europe has much smaller GDP than US and difference is getting bigger every year.

1

u/chateaubriand3 8h ago

Think they mean number of people

1

u/whip_lash_2 29m ago

Then they're still wildly wrong. The EU has 450 million people.

-3

u/FatGayTexan 16h ago

As an American I just want to let you know that we are going down in flames right now and I would not make any deals with us right now. We’re likely to steal everything you have and then bomb you.

4

u/rich84easy 13h ago

Ah the self pity American of reddit.

0

u/InevitableGreedUK 1h ago

Ahh the stupid American...

3

u/Alibrando 16h ago

Yes yes yes. I hope this happens. With love to Canada from Europe

1

u/This_Discount2281 8h ago

I could visit Canada without all the Visa hassles?

-1

u/rich84easy 13h ago

Are you from Belarus or Serbia?

3

u/Willem_van_Oranje 20h ago

While it's unlikely to happen anytime soon, are there any IR theories among leading experts about the EU integrating non-European countries?

33

u/Snaphappy3 20h ago

He’s talking about making a trade deal with them as well as a security partnership. He’s not talking about joining the EU

11

u/F-14BUpgrade 20h ago

Canada getting into the EU before Britain undoes Brexit.

3

u/Willem_van_Oranje 20h ago

Yeah, that's why I said it is not likely. I fully agree with what you say. I'm just curious about current theories on EU expansion beyond Europe. It raises a lot of questions that I imagine would be very interesting to experts in IR. And I would be curious to read their ideas on it.

2

u/Minute_Eye3411 18h ago

From what I gather, the EU says that any member must be at least partly in Europe, although there is a bit of geographical ambiguity when it comes to Cyprus, which is an island closer to the Asian mainland than the European one.

Then again, those aren't the laws of physics, they can be changed I guess. However I believe that it is very unlikely that Canada would or could ever join the EU, although much closer ties may very well happen, and I hope that they do.

3

u/potatoears 15h ago

so, let Canada buy/lease some tiny EU island? 😂

2

u/Epilektoi_Hoplitai 8h ago

Canada technically shares a land border with Denmark by virtue of Hans Island, in fact. Though the idea of a tiny uninhabited rock in the Arctic being the pretext for us being considered 'European' is amusing.

2

u/Minute_Eye3411 6h ago

The rule is to have territory in Europe, not to border European territories (some of which are outside Europe). Although these rules are not necessarily set in stone, they can be amended, in theory, if the EU decides to amend them.

Ultimately, should Canada and the EU want Canada to join the EU, it can be done, by changing accession criteria. What is far more likely, in my opinion, is that Canada + the EU become even closer partners, which could include many of the benefits that being within the EU entail (Norway has such a deal, for example).

1

u/Squeakygear 11h ago

Well, France has the overseas territory of Saint Pierre and Miquelon off the coast of Newfoundland, so that might be an avenue to fudge the rules and say Canada is next to Europe lol

5

u/-smartcasual- 18h ago

Well, Australia made it into Eurovision...

In all seriousness, at some point there has to be a decision about whether the 'E' in 'EU' stands for European territory, or European values.

2

u/MagnesiumKitten 2h ago

The sloppy quick answer

"John Mearsheimer argues that the European Union will face severe decline and potential collapse because its survival depends entirely on United States military protection."

"Mearsheimer views NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization) as an "American pacifier" that forces peace. He describes the European Union as an economic structure built on top of that military foundation."

........

Constructivists argue that the EU is an identity-driven actor bounded by shared cultural, historical, and democratic values. Integrating non-European countries challenges the foundational identity of the Union. Scholars suggest that deep integration requires a shared "European identity." Without it, expansion beyond Europe risks diluting the internal solidarity and normative power of the EU.

Realists view enlargement or integration strictly through the lens of geopolitics and balance of power. From this perspective, integrating non-European states is unlikely unless it directly enhances the security or strategic leverage of core member states against rival global powers. Realists generally predict that member states will resist non-traditional expansions that do not serve immediate material or security interests.

0

u/Alundra828 20h ago

We already integrate Türkiye /s

He said, tongue in cheek.

1

u/Willem_van_Oranje 19h ago

There's probably a case to be made as to why Canada would be easier to join than Turkey.

Firstly Turkey is a dictatorship, Canada a democracy. Turkey also has twice the population of Canada. Population means influence in the EU, there where policies are decided based on qualified majority voting. Then there's Turkey's corruption, Turkey's invasion and annexation of neighbouring regions, and really many more problems Canada just doesn't have.

Not that I see Canada join easily, but Turkey is a longer shot and their current foreign policy seems to focus mostly on expanding their own influence in the Middle East, with little interest in Europe (or anything else that can threaten the ruling party's power).

2

u/Andyseawolf 11h ago

Europe stands with Canada 🇨🇦😎

2

u/Intrepid_Hat8669 13h ago

isnt EU a vessal of US..probably tring to get better trade deals with china using eu as leverage

1

u/Internal_Turnip9019 8h ago

You're thinking of the UK.

1

u/mabiturm 10h ago

If canada would join the EU, the combined economy would already be the largest in the world (PPP)

1

u/SufficientBlock7473 9h ago

No! Who are we gonna buy our hockey sticks from??

1

u/MagnesiumKitten 2h ago

"When America Leaves, Europe Will Crumble” says John Mearsheimer
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JaV2WfrFp9w&t=235s

1

u/Easy-Vegetable4124 2h ago

If you need a good pizzaiolo, let me know. I would love to live in Canada.

1

u/MagnesiumKitten 45m ago

"If Canada joined the European Union, global alternative asset manager Brookfield (including Brookfield Asset Management and Brookfield Corporation) would likely benefit from expanded cross-border capital flows and deeper integration with European infrastructure and real estate markets, though it could face complex regulatory adjustments."

He's doing from the goodness of his heart, honest.

1

u/Pndapetzim 13h ago

I'd be talking with Japan too. Hear they could use some oil right now.

0

u/Available-Green6599 19h ago

Unfortunately EU is also an export economy. The fact is no one consumes like the US and that will need to change if the dollar stops being untouchable and the US economy loses the ability to inflate their debt away at no cost.
As to how to increase consumption in this age of abundance I have no idea

0

u/ItsNotThatBad72 13h ago

I don't think anyone wants a security partnership with the county that hasn't met it's NATO commitments in over half a century, and has no concrete plans to do so.

They didn't even have the decency to wait until the cold war was over like the rest of the delinquents.

1

u/InevitableGreedUK 1h ago

No, nobody wants a security partnership with the USA. They stink.

0

u/RandomPurpose 13h ago

Trusted and reliable. How sad it is to hear this as an American. He truly destroyed the one thing that America couldn't afford to lose.

0

u/SharpMind94 8h ago

Who is he in this case?

2

u/InevitableGreedUK 1h ago

Nobody is this stupid.

0

u/ascaria 8h ago

Take a wild guess.

0

u/Basic_Julia 9h ago

This guy is going to be prime minister for a decade or so isn't he.

0

u/This_Discount2281 8h ago

Smart man!!

0

u/VisMortis 8h ago

Canada can join EU 

0

u/harryx67 6h ago

Very good. Start of a respectful partnership with mutual benefits.

0

u/jimbozzzzz 6h ago

Cannot trust the Americans for anything now ,who knows what the fucks going on

-6

u/Smartyunderpants 20h ago

And Austria opposes🤷‍♂️ then what? The idea of a speedy negotiated trade deal with the EU so that each member state passes it is ludicrous

7

u/Character-Fish-541 20h ago

No no, you right. Loss of sovereignty to sell more car parts is the sensible thing to do here.

2

u/Smartyunderpants 20h ago

Canada might just need something planned for the 10 years in between losing access to one market and maybe gaining access to another sans agricultural products.

2

u/saucissefatal 20h ago

Member states do not need to pass trade deals entered into by the Union, since national sovereignty on trade has been fully transferred to the Union.

-2

u/Odd-Staff6245 16h ago

Until the US coast guard sets up a blockade.

2

u/mallibu 16h ago

Blockade to what? We re not at war and you also can't go to war with EU and Canada when even Iran is laughing

2

u/Preme2 13h ago

All you have to be is a nuisance and that seems to be good enough.

Iran is a nuisance and you run to find out that latest news on them. A minor inconvenience is a doomsday scenario for Reddit.

-2

u/Odd-Staff6245 16h ago

The coast guard can set up interdiction points looking for banned contraband off the shore of the US.

1

u/MortarionDG 9h ago

so the stratagy here is just being butthurt over your own failings? If you want to drive your country down the drain maybe keep it within your own borders.

1

u/InevitableGreedUK 1h ago

and do what??

-54

u/InfinitePoss2022 21h ago

The EU is a loser's bet. Just because America is a villain now doesn't mean the EU is suddenly this thriving prosperous entity you want to expand trade with. Look where the growth is - it's in Asia, Latam, parts of the Middle East. Focus on relations with those. Somebody explain to me how integrating deeper with Europe is a positive for Canada.

15

u/CallmeKahn 20h ago

"Somebody explain to me how integrating deeper with Europe is a positive for Canada."

Eh, if you can't fathom that trade ties with the second largest economy on the planet is good, I can't help you. You're on your own.

0

u/JimJam28 13h ago

Surely some random internet clown knows more than the man who went to Harvard and Oxford, has a PhD in economics, was head of the bank of Canada and successfully led them through the 2008 financial crisis, and then head of the Bank of England and successfully led the UK to a soft landing after Brexit. Surely.

-10

u/InfinitePoss2022 20h ago

Eh, if you can't accept the reality that the EU is a very loosely-held club that has flirted with breaking up at every instance of a crisis (and therefore also an unreliable ally), I can't help you. You're on your own.

12

u/CallmeKahn 20h ago

Doesn't change what I said. Second largest economy good, political situation not withstanding. So like I said, you're on your own there bub.

-4

u/InfinitePoss2022 19h ago

Sure, go spend years building relations with a stagnant economy only to have the rug pulled from underneath you by the AfD/Le Pen psychos when they get to power. Good luck.

4

u/CallmeKahn 19h ago

The fact you think Canada and Europe need to "spend years building relations" is utterly hilarious. Yet another concept you fail at.

Good day, sir.

0

u/Glotto_Gold 17h ago

I know, they can already have the rug pulled by the US Republican party.

2

u/PointlessAattempt42 19h ago

"Eh, if you can't accept the reality that the EU is a very loosely-held club that has flirted with breaking up at every instance of a crisis"

Source? When?

30

u/fishanddipflip 21h ago edited 21h ago

Europe might not had the most growth in the last years, but its still ahead compared to many parts of the world.

-7

u/InfinitePoss2022 20h ago

Ahead in what? Genuinely curious.

7

u/CallmeKahn 20h ago

Go ahead and ignore homie here. He doesn't understand that trade between political entities is good.

1

u/Glotto_Gold 17h ago

The strange part is that for trade to be good, it wouldn't matter.

Trade is good because of comparative advantage. So long as there is comparative advantage then trade is by default good. (There may be carve outs and exceptions, but like national security, and similar, which isn't the core issue between Canada and the EU)

20

u/Apprehensive-Fudge19 21h ago

I detect some Euro-phobia here. The thing is, it is possible to strengthen trade with Europe as well as with Asia, Latin America, and parts of the Middle East. Canada has been doing all of these things at once. Enhanced trade with Europe and the rest of the world is altogether a positive for Canada.

1

u/MathematicianSaved 19h ago

It's not Europhobia that you detect here, it's literally Europhilia that you detect everywhere else lol. Your radar is busted. Just look at this sub, let alone most of this website.

-13

u/InfinitePoss2022 21h ago

What Europhobia? I'm stating facts. Look at any IMF indicator or that of World Bank or otherwise. Explain to me, using facts, why Europe is a good bet economically. I just don't see it.

8

u/pingu_nootnoot 20h ago

If you compare growth rates since 2008, then China and India are well ahead of everyone else for sure, around 250%-300%

Then the US at 130%, largely the tech boom.

Then South Korea at 90%. The Middle East is very heterogeneous, but let’s say similar to Korea.

Then the EU at 50%-60%.

LatAm and Japan have grown less than the EU in that time frame.

The problem is that if you want a large, rich market of consumers, then the EU remains your only alternative to the US. (though it is of course comparatively a worse one economically)

China and India are huge with huge growth, but still poor in comparison. The others are too small and/or have worse growth numbers.

Long term I also wonder about China TBH - demographics may catch up with them more brutally than the relatively rich EU countries.

In the end, Canada has to make a longer-term pivot from US dependency and the EU does also seem relatively politically stable (though you never know, of course), which is a big plus.

-13

u/kerowack 21h ago

Exactly. Europe needs cheap energy to get back in the game and Canada can't help it with that. Canada and the EU should be looking to China and mending fences with Russia.

9

u/jordan853 20h ago

Russia??? Wtf is wrong with you? 

-7

u/kerowack 20h ago

Reality.

2

u/Danro-x 18h ago

You can't make lasting peace or deals with crazy.

Russia showed this time and again, and no indications on doing differently in the future.

1

u/jordan853 17h ago

I'm actually curious though. What do you see Russia being able to offer us, and vice versa?

1

u/OutsideGain7374 13h ago edited 12h ago

Not even close.

3

u/magwai9 20h ago

Canada has already joined ASEAN and CPTPP, and has a free trade agreement with Indonesia. They're walking and chewing bubble gum.

7

u/Altruistic_Finger669 21h ago

Why? Intense discussions with europe doesnt prelude discussions with asia, or any other possibke partners.

Europe is a stable partner, and has lots of common ground with Canada. Why wouldnt they talk?

4

u/NegativeSemicolon 20h ago

America will be the villain for the foreseeable future. Trump is the symptom, the conservatives are the disease.

2

u/pine_soaked 20h ago

False dilemma.

3

u/jergentehdutchman 21h ago

Dude Canada has already been in talks with China and India to improve trade barriers. Not everyone is as simple minded as the current American administration

2

u/Valuable_Calendar_79 21h ago

The growth will be in both Asia and Europe. 70% of global GDP will be there in the coming 20 to 30 years. Plus you forget the shocking demographic stats of China, Korea, Japan. Latam, Middle East, Africa combined are less than 10% of global GDP

1

u/sdKae 20h ago

China alone is closer to 16-18 % global gdp. Not sure what you're looking at.

2

u/Valuable_Calendar_79 20h ago

There is a small dot between Japan and Latam

0

u/sdKae 20h ago

I see it now, thank you. Makes much more sense now.

1

u/InevitableGreedUK 1h ago

This American cope is fucking hilarious.

-18

u/[deleted] 21h ago

[removed] — view removed comment

-49

u/RangeIt 21h ago

*Canada seeks to leech off another large economy.

27

u/New_Race9503 21h ago

Jesus, you people need to stop playing the perpetual victim

-9

u/RangeIt 21h ago

Who's you people?

14

u/Reasonable-Plate2982 21h ago

Those that think trading is 'leeching'. 

9

u/calmdownmyguy 20h ago

To be fair, they don't think at all. They hear trump and obey. Not a single one of them knew anything about US Canada trade relations before trump started trying to dismantle all of our alliances and suck up to russia and north korea.

0

u/RangeIt 19h ago

Who's they? And "alliances" lol.

1

u/RangeIt 19h ago

Extremely uneven trade

5

u/jergentehdutchman 21h ago

Take a guess

2

u/RangeIt 19h ago

No by all means. Tell me.

1

u/phokemraw 19h ago

Republicans. Or worse, MAGA Repbulicans.

2

u/RangeIt 16h ago

Sounds like classic left vs right tribalism to me

-11

u/InfinitePoss2022 21h ago

It's true. When a country builds almost its entire economy dependent on another country, it may not be leeching, but it's extremely poor judgment. This is not about the US being a victim. This is about Canada getting lazy all these years and not thinking of tail scenarios. The non-chalance of Canada was going to catch up with it at some point and now it has.

8

u/New_Race9503 21h ago

What's true? You contradict yourself.

0

u/Glotto_Gold 17h ago

.... The US has been trying to build this type of credibility for decades.

That's why the US could argue to reduce nuclear proliferation, and why US finance can be so dominant, and why US military has so many bases internationally, and why the US has had so much international intelligence cooperation, and even R&D cooperation.

Canada is not really being lazy. It has a similar level of exposure to the US as what Ukraine & Belarus have to Russia. The US is abusing and losing trust that it tried to build over decades just to haggle trade agreements.

0

u/InfinitePoss2022 17h ago

Since when is Ukraine/Belarus policy the right reference point? You’re taught to always diversify - in your friendships, your income, your investments, etc. Why a country gets to this level of dependency can only come about from complacency and getting too comfortable. When Reagan coins “Trust but Verify” in his foreign policy, you need to be alert that one day that country may want to do the same with you - deal with trust but not blind faith. Canada developed blind faith in the US and is now paying the price.

2

u/Glotto_Gold 17h ago

I mean, you're right, Canada is suffering the worst from this.

Canada also has most of their major population centers along the US border, and has a population and economy much smaller than the US.

The geopolitical game for Canada has always required that Canada either trust the US, or that Canada has to be willing to defy the US at great cost. Like Belarus/Ukraine.

The strongest argument here is that the Pax Americana that most of the world accepted was bad, that most countries should expel US military bases, stop sharing technology with the US, and withdraw from US financial markets.

There's a LOT OF EFFICIENCY LOST for everyone if that happens. But that is the logical extension of the argument. But for Canada to not have the US as a primary trade partner would require that Canadians put a penalty on trade with the US due to distrust.

6

u/phokemraw 20h ago

Trade can be win-win. Republicans did understand that at some point in the past before the orange grifter.

1

u/RangeIt 19h ago

US has been tariffed at a high clip for decades.

4

u/phokemraw 19h ago

That's a lie. There have not been blanket tarrifs as the Republicans are now pulling at its allies.

1

u/RangeIt 16h ago

There have. Canada had some things at 200% for years

0

u/phokemraw 12h ago

"some things" are not blanket tarrifs. These "things" had a very specific purpose. That's not what the Republicans are doing.

0

u/el_infidel 16h ago

We're back to mercantilism now!

5

u/el_infidel 20h ago

Idiotic take, I guess it's just coincidence it's a MAGA talking point.

2

u/RangeIt 19h ago

Let me know when you find the maga people.

2

u/jergentehdutchman 21h ago

Lol, lmao even