But that's beside the point. The US has been 'pressuring' Canada for decades to toe the line of it's paranoid reasoning. Ballistic Missile Defense would not have stopped 9-11, nor any other terrorist attack in the past. Using irrational fear to justify unprecedented military expenditures is a waste: specifically such as invading Iraq for fear of them possessing weapons of mass destruction and a willingness to use them has led to gigantic costs and no exit strategy. No exit strategy: No way to *stop* paying into this huge military sink.

And you want more? Ballistic missile shield? For what? 'Space superiority' ? It will set equally competent countries at odds with each other, inclining each to follow their own philosophy, unwilling to cooperate on joint ventures. Did the USSR cooperate with USA during the cold war? Absolutely not! National pride, yours and theirs, being mutually exclusive of sharing achievements, prevented it. It led to contempt for each others abilities.

Maybe we can do better in space. But a ballistic missile shield is just a facade to justify restructing of NORAD, and more pressure on Canada to toe the line, or be marginalized and subjugated (please please can we hitch a ride on your shuttle pretty please?) during that restructuring. Reminds me of NAFTA.