By: Greg Quinn
Canada’s decision to walk away from a trade deal with the United States appears to have incurred the wrath of President Donald Trump and every member of his administration.
Still: Good job, Canada, and what a good example for the rest of us to follow.
The United States under the current president is not a friend of the free world. It is not a friend of those of us who have sacrificed blood and treasure for it. It is not a friend who shares our values.
And, spoiler alert, it isn’t going to be for a very long time, despite the wishful thinking of those who want to believe that things will get back to normal after Trump leaves.
Why do I think that is wishful thinking?
There has been a generational change in U.S. politics, into which President Trump has tapped. Many Americans have a feeling of disillusionment with the world and a belief that the rest of us have taken advantage of the United States over the decades since the end of the Second World War.
In some ways (i.e. defence spending) that is a fair comment. We did free-ride on the United States. And we did so in the belief that our bluff would not be called. And, boy, has our bluff been called.
On defence, I have no dispute with Trump. He has, rightly, put the rest of NATO on notice and it was right that he did so.
But, apart from that, I probably disagree with everything else Trump stands for. Because, fundamentally, he stands against our core values of democracy, good governance, and the rule of law. He treats allies worse than enemies. He treats those of us who support such values worse than those autocratic and undemocratic states whom he seems to admire more than anything else (probably because he hankers after the absolute power their leaders have).
Those around Trump share his views and his dislike for the rest of the free world. J.D. Vance, Pete Hegseth, Marco Rubio, and Mike Johnson have all sold their souls for power and position. They are unlikely to change the U.S. approach should the Republicans be re-elected in 2028.
And let’s not hold out hope for the Democrats, either. Because of that generational change in U.S. politics, they will find it hard to row too far away from the politics of much of middle America. Those on the east and west coasts may get all the coverage because they shout the loudest. But they don’t hold all the power and they can’t always convince what is a silent majority.
For decades the rest of us were willing to “trust” the United States. Accept their leadership and generally move in lock-step with them.
That trust has been blown out of the water. All for what?
Trump talks about Making America Great Again. I guess it depends on your definition of great, but it seems to me that large parts of the world have completely lost trust and faith in the United States. And that will take a long time to get back.
However, it seems that much of the leadership of Europe and the United Kingdom (and elsewhere) hasn’t quite gotten the memo on the United States and how it is not (and will not be for a long time) the reliable ally it once was.
On this, maybe it is time for the rest of us to learn from Canada. To accept that sometimes you have to walk away from a bad deal. Sometimes you have to stand up to the bully, and sometimes you just need to do what is right — namely, call-out bad behaviour, call out inappropriate behaviour and say enough is enough.
That is what Canada has done. Prime Minister Mark Carney has done so in his more diplomatic language. Ontario Premier Doug Ford has done so in his own inimitable style.
Both are right. Sometimes you have to say enough is enough.
Canada is being punished for doing the right thing. It will hurt (although it will also hurt the United States). So, the rest of us need to stand beside Canada, work ever more closely with it, trade ever more with it, and accept that that might mean doing less with the United States or being “punished” by it for not being a lap dog.
Does my own United Kingdom and others have the courage to do this?
Canada has led the way in how to deal with the United States. We have more strength together than apart. If we work together, we can minimize the pain on ourselves and show the United States that they can’t always have it their own way.
Ultimately that will hurt Americans politically and economically and may make them become more — but not totally — reasonable. But to do that we need to stand firm and together.
Canada has shown us the way. It is now up to the rest of us to show that we have equal courage and determination.
Are we able to?
Greg Quinn, OBE, is a former British diplomat who has served in Estonia, Ghana, Belarus, Iraq, Washington D.C., Kazakhstan, Guyana, Suriname, The Bahamas, Canada, and Antigua and Barbuda in addition to stints in London. He runs his own government relations, business development and crisis management consultancy: Aodhan Consultancy Ltd (www.aodhaninc.co.uk).
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"Many Americans have a feeling of disillusionment with the world and a belief that the rest of us have taken advantage of the United States over the decades since the end of the Second World War."
Reminds me of a great truth about us humans... we'll exhaust every imaginable cause before looking inward. Americans have been unhappy for a very long time... unhappy people lash out a lot.
Trump is a vulgar, egotistical, self-serving, not very bright bully who has exposed the military and moral weakness of the West more by bombast than design. To be fair, take note that the serving members of the Republican Party like serving member of the Liberal Party readily abandon principle in the interests of holding political power. "These are my principles and I have others should you not like these".