Israel is highly vulnerable to surprise attack, and inclined to pre-empt against probable threats to its survival. Tensions continue between India and Pakistan over Kashmir. India has a covert arsenal of nuclear warheads thought to number more than two dozen and Pakistan has more than ten. North Korea continues to develop missiles with ranges of up to 3,500 km. Probably, Alaska and Hawaii would be vulnerable to a North Korean attack, within a decade.
China is the final huge zone of strategic uncertainty.
The Chinese authorities are just as willing to play the game of coercive diplomacy as are the Americans, as witnessed in the Straits of Taiwan just before the elections in Taiwan. China has nuclear warheads and the Taiwan question is perhaps the most serious threat to security in East Asia. Today, in virtually none of these cases can Canada offer any meaningful military assistance to the United States, or United Nations efforts to deter resorting to weapons of mass destruction. Without a modern army, only a few Canadian ships and aircraft are all that could be offered to a coalition force. Instead, the present government has placed its effort in 'Team Canada' to promote international trade and good will.