A true friend would understand the reasons for tariffs before taking any action against them. A true friend would work with you to enhance the areas of common interest that you have building on existing relationships to strengthen both sides. A true friend doesn't arbitrarily decide that the street is entirely one-way and that only their needs truly matter. Pretty sure that the USA isn't a true friend at this point.
I think you're right in the importance of goodwill becoming more important based on the size of the playground being used. Goodwill and friendship is essential for small businesses and less so in international concerns,,.. but don't underestimate how the international community will react to the USA acting like dictatorships, siding with Russia.
True Trump holds lots of cards.. but forcing other countries to play with you ensures that we'll always be keeping our best cards for ourselves.
The USA is only interested in ensuring that other countries contribute more of their GDP to military because the USA is the number one provider of military products to the world, the biggest arms dealer in the world is the president of the USA. Please understand that there is a difference between not achieving a target in an agreement that specifies "best effort, or intention" such as the NATO military spending target (not budget - target), and a trade agreement that requires certain actions, or requires an action such as tariffs not be undertaken like the NAFTA (I know the name changed but can't recall the specific acronym Trump chose to ensure that the US was identified as the primary partner US something or other)
One is an understanding that we will seek to achieve a target, the other is an actual requirement. IMHO the USA's obsession with military spending isn't something Canadians want to emulate. As has been previously noted, Canada has assisted the USA in every conflict they've been engaged in... Canada has Never needed to ask for help.
You can feel however you want about Canada's spending priorities, I'm sure that we'll make adjustments to accommodate the bully to the south of us, but we won't forget that it was bullying and not friendship that caused the accommodation.
You're right that we will "capitulate" in one way or another but it will be on our terms. Trump needs a PR win and it's likely that he'll accept much less than we would otherwise be forced to agree to in order to get the public "win". Canada has one thing (more than one but one for the sake of this point) - the US doesn't have at this point. 95% of Canadians are united in disgust and derision for what Trump is doing. Some may feel that politically he is better than the Democrats, or that he has some valid intentions, but virtually all Canadians agree that some if not all of what he is doing is appalling.. and unlike Canada, a large percentage of Americans also believe that what he is doing (not just what he's doing to Canada but to the USA and the rest of the world) is appalling and disgusting. If the USA were truly the "United" States of America there is no doubt that Canada would be crushed in any disagreement, trade war, economic, whatever.. the USA is just too big in comparison, but that isn't the case. Trump is bleeding from a thousand cuts. He didn't just take on Canada, he's fighting half the USA, dismantling Federal departments, as well as Mexico, and the EU, and China, and BRICS, and... well pretty much everyone except Russia - Putin should like him at least. The USA might just be the biggest kid on the playground but there are a lot more of us than there are of him and Americans are going to keep getting kicked and punched as long as Trump continues pushing everyone around. Like I said previously,.. it'll be the average American who suffers for what Trump is doing, not the rich boys that are stealing as much money as they can, and getting away with as much outright crime as they can while Trump holds center stage with his Circus act.
Happy Weekend everyone.
