8 ms·

You think the US would invade Canada if they change the official language of their state?

by psiops 4y ago

thriftwy 4y ago
Maybe not all of Canada, but I can imagine a mutually cooperative transfer of Vancouver to the USA. Vancouver no longer wanting to be in, combined with American desire to enlarge Point Roberts.
defrost 4y ago
I can't see the US making Spanish their official language any time soon.
mhuffman 4y ago
No, but what if China started setting up military installations in Canada on the US border with Canada's blessing, or even insinuated that it would? How do you think that would go? Not simping for Russia here, but this is not a simple and straight-forward issue.
- dirtyid 4y ago
  More historically apt US had plans to annex British Canada when Canada was British proxy that threatened US security. Canada only coexisted with US when Britain conceded influence over Canada which was forced to become geopolitically aligned to US. Extrapolate to RU/URK, PRC/TW. Big countries want their neighbours either aligned or toothless buffer states.
- mopsi 4y ago
  > No, but what if China started setting up military installations in Canada on the US border with Canada's blessing, or even insinuated that it would? This is a dumb Russian PR narrative. Until 2014, the presence of US military in Europe was decreasing and European countries were dismantling their Cold War stocks too. For example, last American tanks left Europe in 2013[1], and Germany went from 3800 tanks in 1980s to 200 today[2]. [1] https://www.stripes.com/us-army-s-last-tanks-depart-from-germany-1.214977 https://www.stripes.com/us-army-s-last-tanks-depart-from-ger... [2] https://www.fpri.org/2015/03/bundeswehr-2-0-a-german-military-for-a-new-normal/ https://www.fpri.org/2015/03/bundeswehr-2-0-a-german-militar...
  - mhuffman 4y ago
    >This is a dumb Russian PR narrative. While that sounds super informed and non-biased, let's pretend for a minute that it isn't the amount of military stocks (since everyone uses missiles and drones now anyway) but the location. So let me re-phrase the question. Do you think the US would be super-cool with China putting a military base with one single missle close to us? Let's not pretend that NATO wasn't founded to take down the Soviet Union (and mostly succeded!). So, while I would be the first to admit that Putin prob. has some ulterior motives, it isn't fantasy. Also, we have absolutely destroyed countries for "acting a little too communist-y" in our hemisphere before, so it isn't like this sort of thing can't realistically make people nervous. Again, not defending Russia, but everyone pretending that this is just "super crazy evil guy doing Hitler things out of the blue" is really sophomoric.
    - mopsi 4y ago
      > Do you think the US would be super-cool with China putting a military base with one single missle close to us? I think that these super-duper clever questions insinuating missiles and bases in Eastern Europe are also dumb and misleading. In the founding act on NATO-Russian relations, it was agreed upon that no-one would place strategic weapons in Eastern Europe, and NATO upheld its part. Placement of conventional forces has also been modest to put it mildly, limited to a small number of light infantry, for training purposes. Things only began to change after 2014. You can guess why.
      - mhuffman 4y ago
        When modern warfare is missiles and drones you don't need conventional forces, you just need the base ... right? Also, I don't have a dog in this fight, I just find it interesting that every subject on Earth seems to have two sides to the story except this one, apparently.
        mopsi 4y ago
        What missiles, where? As to one-sidedness, murdering innocent people tends to be morally pretty one-sided indeed.
- sorenjan 4y ago
  Russia wants to push the narrative that the war is about NATO or Ukrainian nazis or helping suppressed Russians or whatever they're claiming today. The truth is they started the war in 2014 when the Ukrainian people made it clear they wanted to get closer to the EU and further from Russia. Putin wants his empire, he mourns the dissolution of Soviet and calls it "the greatest geopolitical catastrophe of the century". He published a weird manifesto about Ukraine in 2021 about how Ukraine isn't a real country without Russia. He can't stand the thought of a free Ukraine that's part of the European community, it has nothing to do with NATO expansion. As further proof of this he has said that he's not concerned about Sweden and Finland joining NATO after their applications, even though Russia threatened both countries with military actions previously. And you also have to remember why these countries in eastern Europe are part of NATO: to protect themselves against Russian aggression. The Baltic states remember clearly what it was like to be invaded by Russia, as do Poland. Russia is not some innocent victim being attacked from all sides like they want to paint themselves out to be. They're imperialists and in their own official propaganda they claim to be saviours against the decadent west. Lavrov called gender neutral bathrooms dehumanizing for instance.
  - mhuffman 4y ago
    >Russia is not some innocent victim being attacked from all sides like they want to paint themselves out to be. Never said they were ... but that was literally the point of NATO, right? My main point is that this is nuanced. It is not just a one-sided story of maniacal Put-ler ravaging Europe in a bloodthirsty quest of destruction. Again, the US is (generally) considered the "good guys" and look at the shit we are capable of to maintain our influence in the Western hemisphere. And it isn't like Russia is a crippled country on its last gasps of air, it has more nukes than anyone on Earth and that alone means that this shit in Ukraine will only ever be the US feeding Ukrainian soldiers into the meat-grinder and trying to turn Oligarchs salty to prove a point. There will never be a "real win", which would entail an invasion of Russia or giving Ukraine serious weapons to attack Russia with. The very best, pie-in-the-sky that Ukraine can hope for is for Russia to leave a shit-ton of dead Ukrainians when they decide to leave the country. It is a very fucked situation.
    - 4y ago

You think the US would invade Canada if they change the official language of their state?

by psiops 4y ago

You think the US would invade Canada if they change the official language of their state?

Maybe not all of Canada, but I can imagine a mutually cooperative transfer of Vancouver to the USA. Vancouver no longer wanting to be in, combined with American desire to enlarge Point Roberts.

defrost 4y ago

I can't see the US making Spanish their official language any time soon.

mhuffman 4y ago

No, but what if China started setting up military installations in Canada on the US border with Canada's blessing, or even insinuated that it would? How do you think that would go? Not simping for Russia here, but this is not a simple and straight-forward issue.

dirtyid 4y ago
More historically apt US had plans to annex British Canada when Canada was British proxy that threatened US security. Canada only coexisted with US when Britain conceded influence over Canada which was forced to become geopolitically aligned to US. Extrapolate to RU/URK, PRC/TW. Big countries want their neighbours either aligned or toothless buffer states.
mopsi 4y ago
> No, but what if China started setting up military installations in Canada on the US border with Canada's blessing, or even insinuated that it would? This is a dumb Russian PR narrative. Until 2014, the presence of US military in Europe was decreasing and European countries were dismantling their Cold War stocks too. For example, last American tanks left Europe in 2013[1], and Germany went from 3800 tanks in 1980s to 200 today[2]. [1] https://www.stripes.com/us-army-s-last-tanks-depart-from-germany-1.214977 https://www.stripes.com/us-army-s-last-tanks-depart-from-ger... [2] https://www.fpri.org/2015/03/bundeswehr-2-0-a-german-military-for-a-new-normal/ https://www.fpri.org/2015/03/bundeswehr-2-0-a-german-militar...
- mhuffman 4y ago
  >This is a dumb Russian PR narrative. While that sounds super informed and non-biased, let's pretend for a minute that it isn't the amount of military stocks (since everyone uses missiles and drones now anyway) but the location. So let me re-phrase the question. Do you think the US would be super-cool with China putting a military base with one single missle close to us? Let's not pretend that NATO wasn't founded to take down the Soviet Union (and mostly succeded!). So, while I would be the first to admit that Putin prob. has some ulterior motives, it isn't fantasy. Also, we have absolutely destroyed countries for "acting a little too communist-y" in our hemisphere before, so it isn't like this sort of thing can't realistically make people nervous. Again, not defending Russia, but everyone pretending that this is just "super crazy evil guy doing Hitler things out of the blue" is really sophomoric.
  - mopsi 4y ago
    > Do you think the US would be super-cool with China putting a military base with one single missle close to us? I think that these super-duper clever questions insinuating missiles and bases in Eastern Europe are also dumb and misleading. In the founding act on NATO-Russian relations, it was agreed upon that no-one would place strategic weapons in Eastern Europe, and NATO upheld its part. Placement of conventional forces has also been modest to put it mildly, limited to a small number of light infantry, for training purposes. Things only began to change after 2014. You can guess why.
    - mhuffman 4y ago
      When modern warfare is missiles and drones you don't need conventional forces, you just need the base ... right? Also, I don't have a dog in this fight, I just find it interesting that every subject on Earth seems to have two sides to the story except this one, apparently.
      - mopsi 4y ago
        What missiles, where? As to one-sidedness, murdering innocent people tends to be morally pretty one-sided indeed.
sorenjan 4y ago
Russia wants to push the narrative that the war is about NATO or Ukrainian nazis or helping suppressed Russians or whatever they're claiming today. The truth is they started the war in 2014 when the Ukrainian people made it clear they wanted to get closer to the EU and further from Russia. Putin wants his empire, he mourns the dissolution of Soviet and calls it "the greatest geopolitical catastrophe of the century". He published a weird manifesto about Ukraine in 2021 about how Ukraine isn't a real country without Russia. He can't stand the thought of a free Ukraine that's part of the European community, it has nothing to do with NATO expansion. As further proof of this he has said that he's not concerned about Sweden and Finland joining NATO after their applications, even though Russia threatened both countries with military actions previously. And you also have to remember why these countries in eastern Europe are part of NATO: to protect themselves against Russian aggression. The Baltic states remember clearly what it was like to be invaded by Russia, as do Poland. Russia is not some innocent victim being attacked from all sides like they want to paint themselves out to be. They're imperialists and in their own official propaganda they claim to be saviours against the decadent west. Lavrov called gender neutral bathrooms dehumanizing for instance.
- mhuffman 4y ago
  >Russia is not some innocent victim being attacked from all sides like they want to paint themselves out to be. Never said they were ... but that was literally the point of NATO, right? My main point is that this is nuanced. It is not just a one-sided story of maniacal Put-ler ravaging Europe in a bloodthirsty quest of destruction. Again, the US is (generally) considered the "good guys" and look at the shit we are capable of to maintain our influence in the Western hemisphere. And it isn't like Russia is a crippled country on its last gasps of air, it has more nukes than anyone on Earth and that alone means that this shit in Ukraine will only ever be the US feeding Ukrainian soldiers into the meat-grinder and trying to turn Oligarchs salty to prove a point. There will never be a "real win", which would entail an invasion of Russia or giving Ukraine serious weapons to attack Russia with. The very best, pie-in-the-sky that Ukraine can hope for is for Russia to leave a shit-ton of dead Ukrainians when they decide to leave the country. It is a very fucked situation.
  - 4y ago