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Comment by cjbgkagh | Hacker News Reader

I figure it's less about the airplane and more of a tribute to the US. Being a valuable customer of a powerful lobby means the US is more likely to take your interests into account in a way that could be worth the price of the planes.

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Canada is part of NATO. The US is obligated to take Canada’s interests into account with regards to the country’s defense.

Canada is buying these planes because they are the most effective fighters available within the general price range.

An unspoken part of NATO is that the US is the primary military supplier of its allies. The comment that this purchase is partly political/diplomatic is spot on. In fact, why does Canada even need a state-of-the-art Air Force in the first place, if not to appease the US and NATO?

Are you suggesting that Canada should renege on its defense spending obligations as a member of NATO, and simply benefit from NATO’s security umbrella as a freeloader? Or are you suggesting that Canada should drop out of NATO? I can’t really tell from your comment.

No, I am observing that what Canada is doing here is fulfilling its obligations to NATO and, more specifically, the US. The comment I was replying to, and others here, seemed to assume that they bought these jets because they actually needed them for defense, or because they are just great airplanes.

If you believe that then I have some lumber to sell to you.

One of the things about conspiracy theory like sentiment is it makes anyone who takes things at face value seem dumb/naive. However, what is the real value in assuming that everything is corrupt to the core while doing nothing about the corruption? Does it help one formulate more predictive mental models? That seems impossible.

How do you explain the cancellation of the same program in 2015 then? Also, why would the powerful lobby care to help out after the deal is signed?

USA defense lobby is valid. But here? Who else can sell you comparable aircraft?

Tribute to the US’s unrivaled defense development maybe

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