When the list of global threats is examined carefully, the possibility of a major nuclear exchange is not particularly high. Most leaders of major nuclear powers are simply not that anxious to die for their political beliefs. The chance of a limited exchange is, however, greater given the nature of those governing lesser nuclear armed states such as Korea, Iran and Pakistan. That said, there is currently little danger to the Western Democracies from what would be essentially a localized immolation. If any of the lesser states attacked the US, retribution would be instantaneous and terminal. 'Global catastrophe' is a term bandied about with a great deal of angst but the fact remains that sporadic acts of terrorism carried out on a global scale are a threat to world peace but hardly on the same scale of magnitude as a world war. Canada could contribute effectively to the fight against terror but it is not likely to become an arbiter of world peace any time soon..