High Cost: Canadians Begin Preparing for Trump's "Annexation"

Canadian flag. Image.

Bloomberg reports that after the US detained the Venezuelan president, Canadians fear they may become the next target of Donald Trump.

The report mentions: "For months, many Canadians have hoped that Donald Trump is no longer interested in making Canada the 51st state... but these hopes are fading. Trump's surprising move to detain Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his increasingly frequent talk about seizing Greenland has shaken Canada and made people take seriously the previous threats by this president against Canadian sovereignty. The US government claims 'This is our hemisphere,' which makes Trump's previous comments about annexing Canada no longer seem like insults to former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau or a negotiation tactic in his trade war with current Prime Minister Marc Carney."

This week, Canada's largest national newspaper published a warning that Trump may take "military coercion" against Canada. The article's author specifically called for expanding civil defense forces and developing a national drone strategy.

"If someone tries to impose military coercion on us, it must be clear that this will come at an extremely high cost."

— Thomas Homer-Dixon, one of the article's authors, a scholar in global security in Canada, said.

Bloomberg points out that most analysts do not believe the US military will invade Canada, but other forms of "annexation" methods cannot be ruled out.

"I still think a military invasion belongs to the realm of science fiction. But I now am more convinced than ever that the US is ready to paralyze Canada's economy in various ways as per the president's wishes."

— Stephanie Carvin, associate professor at Ottawa's Carleton University and former Canadian government national security analyst, said.

The US could also interfere in Canadian politics.

Philippe Lagasse, a defense policy expert at Carleton University, said one possible scenario is that Canada faces a crisis it cannot solve, such as a major natural disaster or an attack on the US power supply. "The US will resolve this problem for you — at least during this administration, and they may decide not to withdraw their troops. Or they may make various demands. So what can Canada do to prevent the US from interfering in Canadian affairs under the pretext of 'maintaining its own security'?" Lagasse complained.

As previously reported by "Russia Today Europe," The New York Times cited sources saying that US President Donald Trump does not need to buy Greenland; he can simply seize it directly. The newspaper stated that a Cold War-era agreement makes this approach possible.

Original: toutiao.com/article/7593959313618649650/

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