The Unimaginable: Canada, Missile Defence and Nuclear War

Details: Published on Sunday, 29 November -0001 16:00; Written by editor

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A Socialist Project e-bulletin .... No. 1502 .... October 27, 2017
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The Unimaginable: Canada, Missile Defence and Nuclear War

Judith Deutsch

The Invictus Games, attended by Prince Harry and many celebrities in Toronto last month, overshadowed another big military story: a September 19 report in the Toronto Star that Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has "cracked open the door to joining the U.S. ballistic missile defence program, [and] reversing Canada’s long-standing opposition in the face of North Korea’s new capabilities to strike North America."

In view of past public opposition to missile defence, the "crack" in the door may just be a feeler to measure public reaction, as the Trudeau government, which has promised additional billions for the military, pursues a "hard power" foreign policy. But the idea of missile defence is deceptive.

Missile defence... technology, which emerged after the Korean War, was initially envisioned to intercept intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBM) carrying nuclear weapons. ICBMs can travel at enormous speeds, so missile defence is most effective if it intercepts missiles just after launch or when they re-enter the atmosphere at lower speed.

In the past, the fear of "mutually assured destruction" (MAD) through a retaliatory attack served as a deterrence. However, eliminating the means for nuclear retaliation through missile defence could actually provide an inducement to attack with nuclear weapons.