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The US is growing more insular and the world is taking notice. Canadian national security has been maintained by the US for a long time now, we can't guarantee
by briga 4y ago
The US is growing more insular and the world is taking notice. Canadian national security has been maintained by the US for a long time now, we can't guarantee that will be true forever, and with rising global temperatures the northern territories will become more important for trade and resources than ever. Don't underestimate the power of imperialism to change the entire political order of the continent, it has already happened multiple times in the past 400 years.
- cute_boi 4y agoThe US is spending more money on the military. [1]. Why do you think the US is growing more insular? It has donated more money to Ukraine compared to Canada. Meanwhile, the US is currently fraught with crime rates, illegal immigration, low wage, fear of recession, etc... So, advocating for the military, especially by Canada is futile. I am sure this is just about funneling money so some people can pocket big money. Maybe, it is better to spend money on Climate Change and Science than on the military.
- briga 4y ago>It has donated more money to Ukraine compared to Canada It has 10x the population, of course it has. It's not going to give up it's position as world leader overnight. But it's also probably not going to get involved in foreign skirmishes as often as it has in the past. >Meanwhile, the US is currently fraught with crime rates, illegal immigration, low wage, fear of recession, etc... This is precisely why I believe the previous statement. >Maybe, it is better to spend money on Climate Change and Science than on the military. Ironically some of the greatest innovations of the century have come from military spending. The internet, nuclear power, GPS...
- cute_boi 4y ago> It's not going to give up its position as a world leader overnight. It is not going to give up in the future, too. Your points would be valid if the US military budget were reduced yearly. > Ironically some of the greatest innovations of the century have come from military spending. The internet, nuclear power, GPS... Not that much if we compare it to the output that we got from investing in another way. Also, in the example, many militaries introduced the technology and most of the innovations are done by other companies.
- briga 4y agoDefense spending in the US as a percentage of total GDP HAS gone down fairly steadily. The US pulled out of Afghanistan after accomplishing a couple decades of approximately nothing. And it’s hardly the first time America’s military efforts come to naught. There seems to be very little appetite for more. Rival leaders see this as an opportunity.
- epups 4y agoThat's only true if you are talking about Vietnam/Cold War era. In the past 20 years or so, defense spending as a percentage of US GPD has actually increased: https://www.macrotrends.net/countries/USA/united-states/military-spending-defense-budget https://www.macrotrends.net/countries/USA/united-states/mili...
- briga 4y agoAre we looking at the same data? The chart you posted shows a clear downward trend since Vietnam
- xboxnolifes 4y agoTheir point is that spending is up compared to 20 years ago. Yes, spending is lower than 60 years ago, but that decline plateaued 20 years ago. Since then, it's been on the rise.
- cute_boi 4y agoNo, it hasn't gone done steadily. It has been going up steadily if I look at the data. I am currently seeing data from 2015.