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I'm Canadian and I was for the Missile Defense System. It was something that the US would pay for and would only serve to protect our people.

I'm wondering what the Americans think of us now.

Questions:
1) Do you think Canada made a wise decision?
2) Do you think there were ulterior motives on either side? (Canada for its refusal, US for wanting Canada in)
3) do you think this will affect Can-US relations?


If you are Canadian or American, I would especially love to hear what you think.

I don't hold any particular grudge against Canada or Canadians for not being a part of it. It was a decision largely arrived at due to domestic pressures rather then foreign policy concerns in my opinion. It seems to suggest that Canada is following the French mode of relations with the United States then the British mode and that will not win alot of foreign policy points with the United States.

This difference requires a little backround so I'll start here. In Does America Need a Foreign Policy?, Henry Kissinger writes,



Britian gets alot more respect in terms of regard by the United States in conducting foreign policy because it makes itself a partner. France makes itself the outsider by acting like a roadblock.

I see Canada's decision as one driven by domestic policy, a chance to be in opposition to the United States and express displeasure with it's neighbors to the south over other mostly unrelated but vexing issues between the United States and Canada, rather then a rational foreign policy decision in terms of national security or advancing Canada's interests in terms of foreign policy. I seem to recall reading that some members of the Canadian military had been quietly urging the Canadian government to support the United States on the issue because it would have reflected the British mode of relations with the United States: make Canada a part of the dialoge regarding BMD rather then being shut out of the process, as will happen now.

US expectations of Canada under BMD would have been minimal I would expect: I can't see the United States hitting Canada up for much of the cost of the system itself nor of the placement of intercepters on Canadian soil in any significant numbers, if at all. The most I think the United States would have expected would have been the shared use of radar systems that already exist as a part of NORAD. What the United States wanted most from Canada was in all likelyhood was a soft power affermation of support on the issue, moral support if you will.

BMD will in all likelyhood still go forward. Both Clinton and Bush have made significant commitments to the issue and it has become part of the political dialoge in the United States that opposition to it would be quite politically difficult to maintain domestically here in the United States. I think it may have been a bad decision on Canada's part to reject the overture: while it may win the current government some points with the Canadian public who don't support BMD and have axes to grind against the United States, it has significantly damaged Canada's standing with the current administration that was already on a very shaky foundation in regards to other issues such as trade and foreign policy and has made it easier for the United States to disregard Canada.

I wouldn't be much of a help. My opinion on the matter is that Canada can kiss our arse. They can go sit on it and rotate when a missile is on the way, because we'll fire anyway. The real question is whether they want to be our friends or our enemies when it happens.