PM Mark Carney's Canada

[urbanclient]

The low in % GDP defense spending was under Harper. It actually rose (to dubious effect) under JT.

It depends on if we're comparing year-to-year or averages. The averages favour JT, but that gap is small when JT is then compared to Carney. Although part of the reason 2% was hit so quickly is from creative accounting by moving other departments into the Department of National Defence.

Ratio of military expenditure to GDP Canada| Statista

In 2024, the ratio of military expenditure to gross domestic product (GDP) in Canada stood at 1.31 percent.

www.statista.com

 

[Full Metal Junkie]

The low in % GDP defense spending was under Harper.

2000-2014 was a blissful period in the world history. Despite the US involvement in the middle east, and arguably because of US hegemony on being the world's policeman, this was the most peaceful period in modern history. The western nations lived under the illusion that we are done with wars. Certainly, we were thinking that in the globalized economy no one would be stupid enough to start a large scale conventional war that would threaten "civilized countries".

Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2014 should have been a wakeup call for everyone. It was for Poland and the Baltic states, but the rest of NATO swept it under the rug as an inconvenient blip on the radar. Steady as she goes.

We have emboldened the CRINK axis as the result of our blissful ignorance. We showed our weakness. CRINK axis views us as weak and incompetent (and they have a point). And they plan to make us pay for our weakness.

2022 invasion of Ukraine was but a start. Wait until China gets into the fight. Shouldn't be long now. If they were still on the fence about invading Taiwan next year, they no longer are. The dumb way US went about attacking Iran may have just solidified China's own war plans.

 

[urbanclient]

2000-2014 was a blissful period in the world history. Despite the US involvement in the middle east, and arguably because of US hegemony on being the world's policeman, this was the most peaceful period in modern history. The western nations lived under the illusion that we are done with wars. Certainly, we were thinking that in the globalized economy no one would be stupid enough to start a large scale conventional war that would threaten "civilized countries".

Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2014 should have been a wakeup call for everyone. It was for Poland and the Baltic states, but the rest of NATO swept it under the rug as an inconvenient blip on the radar. Steady as she goes.

We have emboldened the CRINK axis as the result of our blissful ignorance. We showed our weakness. CRINK axis views us as weak and incompetent (and they have a point). And they plan to make us pay for our weakness.

2022 invasion of Ukraine was but a start. Wait until China gets into the fight. Shouldn't be long now. If they were still on the fence about invading Taiwan next year, they no longer are. The dumb way US went about attacking Iran may have just solidified China's own war plans.

Interesting take. Maybe it was blissful for Developed/Western countries, not sure it was absolutely blissful for other places. If you're taking 2014 Ukraine as the bookend, and only considering "civilized countries", then that ignores non-US involved conflicts elsewhere.

But maybe those conflict are less relevant to the US and NATO.

I was being pedantic about spending "rising" under JT, when strictly speaking, it declined for two years during COVID.

 

[Full Metal Junkie]

Interesting take. Maybe it was blissful for Western/European countries, not sure it was absolutely blissful for other places.

No, it was truly the most peaceful period in modern history worldwide.