The other side

I know I've been focusing a lot of attention on this (OK, maybe obsessing), but I figured I'd better include some arguments from the supporters of the government's decision: On missile defence, Martin was right.

I'll comment a bit, and then hopefully that'll be it on missile defense for a while. I'll focus on the above column's points. -Obviously, BMD has some technical problems, but that's no reason to give up on it. Like I posted last week, there is missile defense that works, and there's reason to think that it can eventually, or even soon, be expanded to full BMD. -As for it pitting the US against the world, it doesn't seem that way anymore. Certainly, many people still don't like missile defense, but it hasn't really been a diplomatic issue (current North American situation notwithstanding) for a couple of years. There are bigger issues for anti-Americans out there to tie Canada to. -Here's the big one from the other day, the popular opinion card. Sure, most Canadians probably disagree in some way with missile defense, but is this surprising? Many, if not most, Canadians would probably disagree with Canada having a large military, but that doesn't mean that it's in the country's best interest to get rid of the armed forces (although it looks like it's going that way). Sometimes, a government has to act against public opinion, and hope that people either realize the national interest, or at least don't cast their vote against you based on the issue. That's what bothers me about the decision. It's based almost entirely on public opinion, and it's another case of a Liberal government following rather than leading. -BMD doesn't need a champion in Canada. Canada's not building a missile defense system, merely lending support to one being built around it. -Anyone who thinks that Russia and China will stop building missiles if the United States stops building the BMD system is naive. They have their own national interests in mind, and they've been building missiles for more than 40 years and will continue to do so, BMD or no BMD. It doesn't look like BMD is going to make the world less safe, and if it doesn't make the world safer, then at least it's a hopeful move towards that.

These aren't the most detailed arguments, and there are probably lots of holes to punch in them, but I hope they give a quick rebuttal and outline of my thoughts.

PS: Have to include this link, because it's a good summation of all the issues: Missile Defense Machinations Between U.S., Canada.

PPS: And then there's this, which I don't even want to get into: It's Time For Canada to Join the EU.