Axworthy: Carney joining Trump's Golden Dome a ‘betrayal’
Carney endorses Trump's plan to put weapons in space
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Former Liberal Foreign Affairs Minister Lloyd Axworthy accused Prime Minister Mark Carney of betraying Canadians in a strongly worded opinion article published by The Globe and Mail.
Axworthy was responding to the announcements this week, first by Donald Trump and then by Carney a day later, that Canada wants to join and help pay for Trump’s “Golden Dome” scheme that would encircle the Earth with space weapons.
“It’s something that we are looking at and something that has been discussed at a high level,” Carney said on Wednesday. “Is it a good idea for Canada? Yes, it is a good to have protections in place for Canadians.”
You have to be kidding
“You have to be kidding,” Axworthy wrote in the Globe and Mail. “Is this for real? Is Canada seriously contemplating joining Mr. Trump’s latest cockamamie idea?”
“After winning an election on a clear promise to assert a more independent foreign and defence policy – including a move away from reliance on U.S. weaponry, military strategy and security doctrine – this is more than just a baffling development. It’s a betrayal of the vision Canadians voted for,” writes Axworthy.
Lloyd Axworthy was the Foreign Affairs Minister under Prime Minister Chretien in the late 1990s, and led many positive multilateral and disarmament initiatives for Canada.
I expressed a similar concern in the Ottawa Citizen this week. “Carney promised to move us away from the U.S. because the Americans are now a threat to our country,” I told award-winning journalist David Pugliese. “But participating in this (shield) will only bring Canada closer to and more reliant on the U.S. military.”
Media overlooked story in February, taking Canadians by surprise
PeaceQuest readers will recall reading about Trump’s Executive Order to build the system, previously called Iron Dome, in February. The media largely ignored the story, despite the Canadian government’s stated openness to joining the project.
Trump’s system is more like Reagan’s than Bush’s scheme
Golden Dome is a supersized version of George W. Bush’s continental missile defence system which was deployed without Canada’s participation in the early 2000s. The current system has about 40 missile interceptors in Alaska designed to intercept a handful of enemy nuclear missiles from North Korea or Iran.
But unlike Bush, Trump plans to break the international taboo of putting weapons in space for his system, using technology that does not currently exist. The system is intended to render the nuclear arsenal of Russia and China unable to attack the United States, giving the U.S. the ultimate power over its peer adversaries.
Experts who spoke with CBC News say Trump's three-year timeline for construction and $175-billion price tag are unrealistic, with one analyst suggesting a 20-year time frame might be more feasible, with costs potentially running as high as $1 trillion.
PeaceQuest readers didn’t expect this
In our poll in February, three-quarters of readers polled said that Canada would not join Trump’s missile defence plan to put weapons in space. No doubt you may be feeling the same “betrayal” that Lloyd Axworthy is expressing.
Most readers feel personally impacted by Trump
In last week’s poll, three in five readers say Trump’s policies have affected their or their family’s lives personally (65%). One quarter said “no” (25%).
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In peace,
Steve
Mostly importantly, it’s strategically and military unnecessary. And strategically impossible now as is the continuation in NORAD. These organizations only work with allies.
With Trump at the helm, he is our worst enemy. Why would we even consider joining forces with him on such a rediculous project. Has Carney been put under a spell too?