Munk Dialogue with Andrew Coyne: the US slides towards dictatorship and Carney clings to Canada's peacemaking past

In the past week alone there has been an FBI raid on John Bolton's home and a threat to investigate former New Jersey governor Chris Christie due to his criticism of Trump. Every day there are new indicators to suggest the US is rapidly descending into dictatorship, with the President using the power of his office for his own ends. How can Americans stop this momentum? Andrew and Rudyard then turn to Canada's ongoing trade war with the US. Mark Carney's repeated attempts at being a reasonable interlocutor engaging in good faith negotiations is met with provocation from the US President. Andrew suggests the PM try to manage chaos and stall for time instead of trying to reach a deal. This is a problem that shouldn't be solved; it should be managed. In the final moments of the show Andrew and Rudyard talk about Carney's visit to Ukraine and his offer to send Canadian troops as part of a future security guarantee. Is it time for Canada to accept its defense limitations and its inability to act as the peacemaker it has always aspired to be? Or should we welcome this offer as an opportunity to fulfill our long neglected NATO obligations?Become a Munk Donor ($50 annually) to get 72-hour advanced access to the full length editions of Friday Focus and Munk Dialogues. Go to www.munkdebates.com to sign up. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.