The Art of the Deal Meets the Art of War

How Serious is the Trump Invasion Threat?

"If you know the enemy and know yourself, you do not need to fear the results of a hundred battles." – Sun Tzu, The Art of War

I have been immersed in the philosophy of Chinese strategist Sun Tzu, who wrote a profound book on war and human psychology over 2000 years ago. My neighbour Jack Church, a wonderful old miner from Cobalt, Ontario, gave me a copy of his book, The Art of War just before his death.

He told me I needed to read up and learn. This was before Trump 2.0 and the rise of malignant MAGA. But Jack must have been sensing something. And so, I read. I studied.

We are 50 days into the Trump reign, and in that time, Donald has destroyed international alliances and signed up with a new AXIS of EVIL - North Korea and Putin. He has sold out the people of Ukraine and is trying to dismantle the checks and balances of American democracy.

Yet, one thing remains clear throughout the chaos: Canada is his number one target.

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How Serious Is The Threat?

Very serious.

Consider the latest article by Don Braid in the Calgary Herald, in which he speculates what armed resistance would be like in response to an American occupation.

Braid based his column on the work of Dr. Aisha Ahmad, an expert in counterinsurgency and civil war. Ahmad states that if Trump did invade Canada, it wouldn't end well for the Red, White and Blue.

An invasion by Trump would trigger a massive resistance campaign that would draw the United States into a war they couldn't win. In the end, it would result in the political and economic destruction of the United States.

I discuss the findings in this video.

If someone had speculated on such things 90 days ago, they would have been relegated to some whacky Reddit subforum of conspiracy nutters.

But here we are, with the possibility of invasion seriously discussed in a national Canadian newspaper.

So yes, the threat is real.

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Political Responses & Boycotts

Last week, Democratic Representative Seth Magaziner introduced legislation to prevent the Trump administration from obtaining federal funds to launch an invasion of Canada, Greenland or Panama. Congress is looking at putting financial roadblocks to stop illegal invasion of our country.

Former Prime Minister Trudeau was one of several Canadian political leaders who publicly warned that the threat to our nation is real.

Sun Tzu would tell us to assess the threat but not to panic.

Fantasizing about putting on balaclavas to fight the Yankee invader might be fun, but it's not helpful. We need to be cool-headed in assessing our strengths against Trump's weaknesses.

"The supreme art of war is to subdue the enemy without fighting." – Sun Tzu, The Art of War

After 50 days, Canada has emerged as a leading source of resistance to the Trump agenda. It’s not the Democrats or the courts; Canada is leading the fight.

And one of our key tools is the boycott.

The boycott is not only putting enormous pressure on the American economy but has brought Canadians together in a way that would have been unimaginable just a few months ago.

The boycott has been a training school in our war of resistance.

In January, the U.S. Tourism Association warned that a 10% drop in Canadian tourism would lead to catastrophic job losses. The numbers from February are much more dramatic, with tourism flights down a staggering 40%.

We become strong as he becomes weak.

And this is where Donald the King becomes an emperor without clothes.

He thought if he threatened Canada, we would collapse. However, the only thing he has managed to accomplish is to increase uncertainty in the American economy. The result of the on-again-off-again tariff threats has put the United States on the verge of a major recession.

"Victorious warriors win first and then go to war, while defeated warriors go to war first and then seek to win" - Sun Tzu, The Art of War

What Comes Next?

Canadians have surprised the world with our determination. But now, we must take the resistance to a more sustained level. The first is through hard power, followed by building on the incredible people power of this country.

Let's start with a discussion of hard power.

Canada needs to undertake major investments in our military. But given how Trump has upended NATO and threatened our borders, we will need to reconsider all military procurement contracts with United States contractors. Why are we giving money to a foe that is threatening us?

The threats come as we are neck-deep in the costs of purchasing the F-35. Do we continue down this road of paying for a massively expensive NATO fighter or switch investments that will focus on a more mobile defence like drones?

I am not qualified to answer those questions, but we need military thinkers working on this issue now.

In terms of softer/people power, we need to expand the power of the individual boycott to include more local and regional forms of resistance.

One way would be to create local chapters - perhaps a network of Elbows Up teams in towns and cities across this country. These regional groups could host public rallies and local meetings and spread ideas for strengthening economic resistance.

The power of local organization is about building relations with neighbours and making Canada strong from the ground up.

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The Road Ahead

Our nation is being tested as never before. But the goodness and the fierceness of the people of this country inspire me. You give me the courage to get up in the morning and stare that ugly beast in the face. And the more I stare, the less scary he seems.

In reading Sun Tzu, I found this quote:

"To win one hundred victories in one hundred battles is not the acme of skill. To subdue the enemy without fighting is the acme of skill."

My updated lingo is: let's wear that toxic Mo-Fo down.

That's our job, fellow Canadians.

We will stand the gaff. Elbows up.

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