The isolationism that President Donald Trump seemed to espouse in his first term has taken a backseat to an unbridled machismo on the world stage. Trump is still pulling back from non-military foreign engagement, as seen in this week’s withdrawal from dozens of international agencies, but in the aftermath of the seizure of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, it is impossible to ignore the White House’s heightened aggression.
This is the work of an unabashed empire. Journalist Spencer Ackerman marveled after Maduro’s capture at how “rarely in the era of mass media has U.S. imperialism been as unsubtle or as blatant.” There’s been no need to hide behind claims of protecting human rights or safeguarding against threat to American lives. The pretense of needing to prevent the flow of drugs into America that justified the preceding attacks on drug boats swiftly melted away in favor of a naked grab for resources.
Trump might have convinced some of his supporters that he’s a “peace president,” but he plainly relishes the chance to put America’s military front and center, as in last year’s parade held on his birthday. And in a recent interview with The New York Times, he made clear that he sees the only one limit on America’s global power, and by proxy his own: “My own morality. My own mind. It’s the only thing that can stop me.”
This is a preview of Hayes Brown’s latest column. Read the full column here.
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