Trump’s National Security Strategy Ends Canada’s Security Discount
After decades of underinvesting in defense, Ottawa now faces intense pressure to boost spending and secure the North — or risk becoming a liability instead of an indispensable ally.
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NOTE: The following is a fascinating Canadian perspective on Donald Trump’s effort to turn allies who’ve functioned as dependents into real partners. It won’t surprise you that the freeloaders aren’t too happy about that. But a Europe that believes it can’t defend itself against Russia should actually create the capability to do so; and a Canada that unendingly asserts its sovereignty against the United States shouldn’t function as its protectorate.
If our allies want respect, they should grow up. We didn’t choose their weakness: they did. Now Trump is sending them to the gym. — RDM
by Stephen Nagy
December 17, 2025
The Trump administration’s November 2025 National Security Strategy (NSS) marks a watershed moment for American foreign policy and a potential crisis for Canada. Unlike previous iterations that championed a “rules-based international order,” this document explicitly embraces what it calls “flexible rea…
