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Spazito

(56,103 posts)
Thu May 21, 2026, 09:52 AM 8 hrs ago

Dr. Strangelove diplomacy: How the Pentagon's symbolic defence board freeze with Canada could backfire

Although greeted with a mixture of angst, anger and genuine confusion in this country, it is undeniable that the Pentagon’s move this week to freeze one of the oldest pillars of continental defence co-operation — ostensibly to punish Canada — carried with it notes of dark comedy.

Following Elbridge Colby’s social media edict pausing the U.S.–Canada Permanent Joint Board on Defence (PJBD), one was hoping to see among the replies: “Gentlemen, you can’t fight in here, this is the war room!”

There is still time.

snip

Americans: We’re suspending the PJBD and putting it under review.

Canadians (and most people): You’re pausing the what?

snip

The advisory body has met only seven times in the last decade, the last time in the fall of 2024.

snip

The irony is, if most Canadians hadn’t heard of the PJBD before Colby’s X post on Monday, they have now, and have been handed another grievance or reason to be resentful of the imperially inclined United States — even if they had no idea the board existed, or what it did.

snip

"It is self-defeating, just like attacking Iran and not having a plan for the Strait of Hormuz," Saideman said. "It's the same people making the same kinds of decisions, assuming that they can impose their reality on everybody else, but they forget everybody else has an agency, everybody else has domestic audiences."

more

https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/u-s-pulls-out-defence-board-canada-9.7206489

It's a long article/analysis but is worth the read, imo.

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Dr. Strangelove diplomacy: How the Pentagon's symbolic defence board freeze with Canada could backfire (Original Post) Spazito 8 hrs ago OP
For all Canadians on this board, please sign the petition to have our government Bev54 7 hrs ago #1

Bev54

(13,520 posts)
1. For all Canadians on this board, please sign the petition to have our government
Thu May 21, 2026, 11:00 AM
7 hrs ago

rid the country of the US Ambassador, Pete Hoekstra. He is openly supporting the separatists in Alberta and is an all around arrogant asshole.

You can sign the petition at:

https://www.ourcommons.ca/petitions/en/Petition/Details?Petition=e-7124

Actually while at the petitions website, look for other good petitions to sign, there is one or more on also removing all ICE officers from Canadian soil and other worthwhile petitions.

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