Trudeau decided to go ahead with retaliatory tariffs even though Trump’s order includes a mechanism to escalate the rates if Canada retaliates against the U.S.
If it were an actual shooting war, Canada would have to surrender within days. Virtually the entire population lives within a two hour drive of the border, and the US military is orders of magnitude bigger than the Canadian military.
But, while the US could easily conquer Canada militarily, the guerilla war would be another matter.
The US/Canadian border is the longest land border in the world. The US could do nothing to stop Canadians from entering the US. And, once Canadians were inside the US, there’s no way to tell a Canadian from an American. South Park lied, not all Canadians have floppy heads. Once inside the US, guns are freely available to everybody. Plus, the market is so open, it’s easy to get what you need to make bombs.
So, imagine the “Troubles” in Northern Ireland, but spread out throughout the entire US. The American psyche is not prepared for that. Americans have been in all kinds of wars, but the last time Americans had a war on home soil was the US Civil War. Just look at the overreaction to a mere 3000 people dying on September 11th. Decades later and the ripples are still being felt.
And, that’s not even considering that probably more than half the US wouldn’t support an attack on Canada, and a significant fraction would help Canadians with sabotage and other guerilla activities.
As chaotic and norms-breaking as Trump is, I have to think someone would stop him before he actually went into a shooting war with Canada.
If it were an actual shooting war, Canada would have to surrender within days. Virtually the entire population lives within a two hour drive of the border, and the US military is orders of magnitude bigger than the Canadian military.
But, while the US could easily conquer Canada militarily, the guerilla war would be another matter.
The US/Canadian border is the longest land border in the world. The US could do nothing to stop Canadians from entering the US. And, once Canadians were inside the US, there’s no way to tell a Canadian from an American. South Park lied, not all Canadians have floppy heads. Once inside the US, guns are freely available to everybody. Plus, the market is so open, it’s easy to get what you need to make bombs.
So, imagine the “Troubles” in Northern Ireland, but spread out throughout the entire US. The American psyche is not prepared for that. Americans have been in all kinds of wars, but the last time Americans had a war on home soil was the US Civil War. Just look at the overreaction to a mere 3000 people dying on September 11th. Decades later and the ripples are still being felt.
And, that’s not even considering that probably more than half the US wouldn’t support an attack on Canada, and a significant fraction would help Canadians with sabotage and other guerilla activities.
As chaotic and norms-breaking as Trump is, I have to think someone would stop him before he actually went into a shooting war with Canada.