The bizarrely authoritarian speeches and statements in Munich of all places, from top US officials, like the VP and Secretary of Defence, have managed to essentially dismantle the entire "rules-based order" established after WW2. As former British PM John Major observed today on the BBC, hundreds of thousands of Americans died to keep Europe free from fascism, but Mr Vance ignored the democratically-elected leader of Germany, in Germany, to seek out, meet and support, the leader of an extreme far-right party with ideological roots in the Hitler era. Meanwhile, Ukraine, an ally, was thrown under the bus, when Trump appeared to side with the Russians, in terms of negotiating an end to the war against Ukraine. VP Vance also attacked European nations for their lack of freedoms, while failing to mention or criticise actual authoritarian states, once.
Meanwhile, back home, the Trump regime fired the people responsible for the nuclear arsenal, and continued to dismantle all the checks and balances that support the US constitution. Trump even quoted tyrant Napoleon, indicating he was above the law.
Without exaggerating, this is the sign that an extreme, anti-immigrant, authoritarian group has taken over the levers of American power, and is currently taking American democracy apart, for the apparent benefit of its enemies - it is certainly not for the benefit of its allies. If, as this blog expects, Trump begins to ignore US court judgements openly, and sides ever-more closely with Russian plans; and continues to attack allies with taxes and invasion threats; and continues to fire the US employees that actually run the democratic society he abhors, then, you will have the end of The West as the bulwark concept that kept the world from becoming communist or fascist tyrannies since 1945. In other words, 80 years of History and massive effort down the drain.
The West (democratic liberal capitalism) was and is flawed, hypocritical, imperfect, and often violent; it started wars, and overthrew some elected governments; but it also led to massive improvements in health, and wealth, for billions of humans, and kept the world from fighting a full third world war, potentially killing billions in a thermo-nuclear nightmare. It has been the best worst option, unless you prefer Chinese communism, or the Soviet system, or nihilistic super-violent kleptocracies.
If Trump's revolution signalled the start of a new and magnanimous plan for lands of milk and honey, and had a moral or humane basis, this could be a new golden age. Instead, it is a Godfather-style portioning of the loot, the territories. Some get Ukraine, some Taiwan, some Gaza, Panama, Canada or Greenland. It's bizarre, misaligned, vulgar, and cruel, but that's the way the chips are falling.
To say this blog is in shock, or dismayed, is an understatement. But that doesn't really matter. The steamroller continues.
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