# Are we at the beginning of a new arms race?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-we-at-the-beginning-of-a-new-arms-race/697649>\
**Category:** Great Debates\
**Created:** [September 6, 2014, 11:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-we-at-the-beginning-of-a-new-arms-race/697649 "2014-09-06T11:06:25Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 2

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**Author:** ![PhillyGuy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ed655f/32.png) [@PhillyGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PhillyGuy)\
**Post date:** [September 9, 2014, 10:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-we-at-the-beginning-of-a-new-arms-race/697649/22 "2014-09-09T10:49:02Z")

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> [@Trinopus](#):
>
> Canada really doesn’t suffer any meaningful threat from the U.S.

That is a point. I don’t think we’ve invaded them for, oh, 201 years now.

More recently, we have made it pretty inconvenient at the border.

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**Author:** ![PhillyGuy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ed655f/32.png) [@PhillyGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PhillyGuy)\
**Post date:** [September 9, 2014, 11:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-we-at-the-beginning-of-a-new-arms-race/697649/23 "2014-09-09T11:13:46Z")

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> [@Trinopus](#):
>
> With any luck, the English/Scots border will be similarly stress-free.

Yes. With luck, England won’t flood Scotland with smuggled assault weapons the way we do Mexico (last invaded, by the US, 95 years ago in the Third Battle of Ciudad Juarez).

Do I seriously believe that Scotland would get more respect from England if it had it’s own little Force de Frappe? This is the kind of claim that can’t be proven, so I guess it is pointless to make it. But I believe the answer is yes. If Canada had nuclear weapons, the US wouldn’t take disrespectful actions like putting street barriers in border towns.

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**Author:** ![Kobal2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kobal2/32/20_2.png) [@Kobal2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kobal2)\
**Post date:** [September 9, 2014, 11:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-we-at-the-beginning-of-a-new-arms-race/697649/24 "2014-09-09T11:41:50Z")

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> [@Malthus](#):
>
> Ukraine gave them up in return for a guarantee that the US, the UK and Russia would not violate Ukraine’s sovereignty.

Well, two out of three ain’t bad.

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**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\
**Post date:** [September 9, 2014, 4:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-we-at-the-beginning-of-a-new-arms-race/697649/25 "2014-09-09T16:01:06Z")

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> [@PhillyGuy](#):
>
> Yes. With luck, England won’t flood Scotland with smuggled assault weapons the way we do Mexico (last invaded, by the US, 95 years ago in the Third Battle of Ciudad Juarez).
> 
> Do I seriously believe that Scotland would get more respect from England if it had it’s own little Force de Frappe? This is the kind of claim that can’t be proven, so I guess it is pointless to make it. But I believe the answer is yes. If Canada had nuclear weapons, the US wouldn’t take disrespectful actions like putting street barriers in border towns.

Aren’t there some British naval bases in Scotland? Do they have some balistic missile subs the Scots can get hold of?

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