Is Trump Trying To Push Canada Out of Vital Intelligence Sharing Group?
[guest post by Dana]
A dangerous proposal, if accurate. Punishing Canada for their rejection of Trump’s deal, or just putting a little bit of pressure on the nation to reconsider Trump’s (ridiculous) proposal?:
A top White House official has proposed expelling Canada from the Five Eyes intelligence-sharing network as Donald Trump increases pressure on the country he talks about turning into the 51st US state.
Peter Navarro, one of the US president’s closest advisers, is pushing for the US to remove Canada from the Five Eyes — which also includes the UK, Australia and New Zealand — according to people familiar with his efforts inside the administration.
The people familiar with the situation said Navarro, who has easy access to the Oval Office due to his close relationship with Trump, is arguing that the US should increase pressure on Canada by evicting the country from the Five Eyes.
Why do the majority of Trump‘s decisions and deals have to do with alienating longtime allies and/or hurting Americans (excluding American billionaires)?
—Dana
Hello.
Dana (3c1d33) — 2/25/2025 @ 8:23 amNavarro, deepest into Cult Orange Jesus, so he probably is on board with and channeling Trump’s stupid idea.
I’m still waiting for any concession that Trump is demanding that Putin make for his dirty little war in Ukraine.
Paul Montagu (eacde9) — 2/25/2025 @ 8:40 amGiven the members, I can this becoming Four Eyes, with the US as the (very) odd man out. How long before America First! becomes America Alone?
Kevin M (a9545f) — 2/25/2025 @ 9:00 amNavarro is spitballing.
Rip Murdock (d2a2a8) — 2/25/2025 @ 9:14 amWhat is the Canadian contribution? They are recipients or listeners rather than “eyes”
steveg (116c95) — 2/25/2025 @ 9:30 amYou should probably get a basic understanding of what 5E does and how.
Navarro knows nothing and, like his boss, has been proven wrong every time he opens his mouth, this would be the case now.
Trying to justify this braindead chatter just makes you look less…smart than them, and they ain’t smart.
Colonel Klink (ret) (96f56a) — 2/25/2025 @ 10:23 amNavarro is now denying this report.
Rip Murdock (d2a2a8) — 2/25/2025 @ 10:41 amAn unsourced report behind a firewall? While I have no doubt that a lot of idiotic ideas bounce around the Trump WH, I need more substance before believing any particular one.
Kevin M (a9545f) — 2/25/2025 @ 10:57 amAh, in the distillation of the MAGAt playbook.
1) didn’t happen
Colonel Klink (ret) (96f56a) — 2/25/2025 @ 10:59 am2) happened but I didn’t have anything to do with it
3) happened and I know now that it happened but I didn’t know at the time
4) happened and I knew about it but it wasn’t my idea
5) happened and I knew about it but I agreed in principle
6) happened and it was my idea but others also agreed
7) it was me I did it
Both.
Canadian Forces Intelligence Command-Defense intelligence, geospatial intelligence, human intelligence
Communications Security Establishment-Signals intelligence
Canadian Security Intelligence Service-Human intelligence, security intelligence
Royal Canadian Mounted Police-Security intelligence
Footnotes omitted. Source, footnote 2.
Rip Murdock (d2a2a8) — 2/25/2025 @ 11:01 amThanks RIP
As the Col pointed out, I was ignorant to the details of their contributions.
steveg (36c652) — 2/25/2025 @ 12:10 pmShould have added a ? at the end
The problem with the Five Eyes intelligence-sharing network, is that there’s no due process protection for those interested in abusing this.
US official cannot directly expended government resources to “spy” on Americans.
But, nothing is stopping that same US official from asking the other “Five Eyes” government to spy on Americans.
I dunno if that can be fixed, or if we even SHOULD try to fix it…given the dangerous world we live in.
Intelligence is like having a bunch of knives in the drawer… do you use it as a useful tool to make something to eat? Or do you use it to stab someone?
whembly (b7cc46) — 2/25/2025 @ 1:44 pmAt least he is not making the cherokees (my people) march on a trail of tears again.
asset (933255) — 2/25/2025 @ 2:27 pmThat is a very good question. But so far this is a Navarro proposal, and trying to implement it could result in the end of 5 eyes.
And it’s the USA that has the worst record in keeping secrets.
Sammy Finkelman (e4ef09) — 2/25/2025 @ 4:43 pm14. Take a breather Sammy.
Canada for example: Candaians are fine people but:
(1), its GDP % for military expenses–after years of urging and after 2014 and 2022 Russian invastions is about 1.6%. A real ally.
It expects to maybe–maybe– reach 2% (a figure that was dveloepd before Putin’s adventurism), by …2032. Neat huh? https://www.pbo-dpb.ca/en/publications/RP-2425-020-S–fiscal-implications-meeting-nato-military-spending-target–repercussions-financieres-atteinte-cible-depenses-militaires-fixee-otan
(2) even back in the 90’s candadians were the only people is eu conlficts with serbs with jet fighters lacking anti-jamming radios.
So take a breather about alienating the canadians. I don’t like gratuitously offending people, but they’re OK and get it. We want to stand indepdenent, they are content to be …canadian. (What will they do? Drop below 2%? Oops: they already have).
Harcourt Fenton Mudd (0c349e) — 2/25/2025 @ 5:28 pmPeter Navarro has nothing to do with intelligence.
Rip Murdock (d2a2a8) — 2/25/2025 @ 5:32 pmNot even a passing acquaintance.
You were talking about community, but realistically, he’s just stupid.
stupid Hitler has chosen a bunch of these turds, stupid people who think they’re smart (like the boss), it’s the worst of all worlds.
Colonel Klink (ret) (96f56a) — 2/25/2025 @ 8:23 pmThis is true. Putin said that Ukraine is not a real country, just like Elon is saying that Canada is not a real country. WTF is wrong is wrong with this oligarch who has the ear of this fascist president?
Paul Montagu (eacde9) — 2/25/2025 @ 9:40 pmIn that Musk is channeling the Russian Terrorist-in-Chief.
Paul Montagu (eacde9) — 2/25/2025 @ 9:41 pmTrump and republicans gets their tax breaks for the rich. We are still looking in the bill where no soc. security tax no tax on tips and overtime are?
asset (7fa485) — 2/25/2025 @ 11:00 pmThe rules based international order is over. The time of long term alliances is over. It is now the time for bullying and the use of power to force people to comply, rather than negotiating mutually beneficial agreements.
This is who Trump has always been. None of us should be the least but surprised.
aphrael (b1fadc) — 2/25/2025 @ 11:04 pmIt will be this way, back and forth, until these two wretched parties return to a consensus foreign policy.
Kevin M (a9545f) — 2/25/2025 @ 11:54 pmAdmittedly, the GOP is wretcheder right now.
Kevin M (a9545f) — 2/25/2025 @ 11:55 pm21. Perhaps decades of polite gauzy fiction are passing. Like countries are not just friends, but “allies” which don’t pull their weight in defense, spurn calls to do so, spend their money on welfare, can’t even imagine a start up in their country, but happily fine US companies like Google. While expecting the US to pay for the heavy lifting.
The ones that ignored increasingly urgent calls from Obama and Trump to increase their military budgets, but barely moved from their slumber after Putin invaded Georgia and the Ukraine. Those countries. Of course, those countries could rely on people in the US, still cherishing the warm idea of “allies,” to call Trump “rude” for being so insistent that those countries rearm to protect themselves and NATO. Like now.
Perhaps its healthy and more realistic to stop more cherishing past notions that such countries are “valuable allies,” entitled to an equal vote or influence on our actions. Are they friends? Absolutely, yes, always. But “Allies”? Who can or will help us? Please.
The rules seem to be that the US pays while Europe and Canada preen. The US nuclear umbrella (rapidly aging) protects. Europe is the same show it has been for decades, while their militaries degrade even further, they undo their own energy sufficiency.
Putin is a dangerous man and is on the move. So is Xi. Soft ideas that friends are the same as “allies” are dangerous. The time for sipping hot chocolate and pretending that people who don’t help you are precious allies is over. Friends yes. Always. Allies. We need to do what is right for the US and its people. And stop worrying about being trashed for the truths we tell.
Harcourt Fenton Mudd (f90479) — 2/26/2025 @ 7:32 amIf we slap a twenty five percent tariff on one. Set of friends while publically announcing the desire to annex another friend, we will quickly find ourselves with neither friends nor allies, just a sea of hatred and loathing directed at us.
America, alon we in the world and hated by everyone. That’s the future this administration is building for us
aphrael (b1fadc) — 2/26/2025 @ 6:01 pmaphrael (b1fadc) — 2/26/2025 @ 6:01 pm
Correct.
People who fall in love with a leader will quickly begin to justify the leader’s wrongdoing.
It’s like your daughter loving a guy who is glaringly wrong for her, but she just can’t see it, because love is blind.
norcal (a72384) — 2/26/2025 @ 7:35 pm25. Aphrael: I won’t comment on the countries Biden alienated, including long time ally Saudi Arabia that Biden foolishly called a “Pariah,” and the many countries that said all they got from Biden was a “lecture” on trans rights.
Do you remember all the allies we had in the Cold War? me neither: many stayed neutral (the so called “non-aligned”), some were hostile (France stayed away from NATO), and it really came down to the US and Britain and a little bit of Canada and Mexico. And a little Australia.
Do you know how many countries support free speech? Or Israel? Or us?
I mean I look around and I see OK friends, but not really allies. South Korea exprorts to us but has so few births its going out of business; same in France and Germany. Taiwan can’t defend itself and isn’t trying to.
What I do see, is people emotinally trying to defend polite fictions (NAtO members that won’t defend themselves really do believe in their own defense as much as we do; We can perpetually escalate the US National debt to defend countries that won’t defend themsleves; and the Ukraine, USAID’s odd programs, and Taiwan; and our “friends” and “allies” who cannot defend themselves, will be there to materially help us if needed;
The “Bad Orange Man” is splashing cold water on polite fictions. (“Wake up!”) “No, germany you cannot export to us while we defend you, and and keep larger tariffs on our cars than we have; no Ukraine we are not going to pay endlessly for your defense unless you chip in for us.”
People objecting to this deluge of cold water are the problem, not the hard truths Orange Man is relvealing as reality.
Harcourt Fenton Mudd (0c349e) — 2/27/2025 @ 10:09 am