ARTICLE FIVE . . . AMERICA PREPARES FOR WAR UNDER A LAWLESS PRESIDENT
Permit me a brief addendum to last week’s essay, but events have multiplied so rapidly that I feel compelled to try to provoke comment.
Imagine if you will, a dystopian scifi scenario: Goose-stepping military forces invade the world’s largest island to seize its supply of lithium and scandium, two minerals vitally necessary for weaponry. But the island has mutual defense treaties with a bevy of larger, nuclear equipped countries and retaliates with an air attack on the invading forces. Newspapers report dozens of invaders killed and many more gravely wounded. The year of the mythical invasion in the fantastic distant future: 2025. The invader: The United States of America. The defender: Europe. The reality: Donald Trump has threatened to use military force to capture Greenland and steal their natural resources. Greenland and Denmark have made clear this is totally unacceptable. Greenland legally is an extension of Denmark and therefore covered by Article 5 of the NATO Treaty which provides as follows:
“The Parties agree that an armed attack against one or more of them in Europe or North America shall be considered an attack against them all and consequently they agree that, if such an armed attack occurs, each of them, in exercise of the right of individual or collective self-defence recognised by Article 51 of the Charter of the United Nations, will assist the Party or Parties so attacked by taking forthwith, individually and in concert with the other Parties, such action as it deems necessary, including the use of armed force, to restore and maintain the security of the North Atlantic area.”
Note the use of the words “shall be considered” (not may be considered) and “will assist” (not may assist); a military assault upon Greenland therefore will constitute an act of war by the United States against NATO. How would NATO respond? It is unlikely there would be military repercussions in the continental U.S., although destructive action against Pituffik Space Base, formerly known as Thule Air Base on the northwest coast of Greenland is certainly a possibility. More likely, though, we would see an immediate slamming of the doors of Europe against all things American -- people, goods, business -- with alarming economic consequences for this country (and my April travel plans)! Think of all the wealthy Republicans with summer vacation plans disrupted by such an action (with no refunds for their air travel if disrupted by an act of war) and you can understand why this would be a likely European response.
In a terrifying echo from the 1930s, Trump is now claiming the “people” of Greenland want the U.S. to come in and take over. No doubt this was discovered by the unofficial one-day visit by his son earlier this year. Hark back to Czech Sudetenland in 1938 when the Nazis marched in to “liberate” the 23% of the population which was ethnic German allegedly at their request!
But that’s not the only insane development of the past week. In clear violation of the law governing Inspectors General, Trump has summarily e-mail fired at least a dozen without notice or explanation. Legislation with overwhelming bipartisan support passed this century requires thirty-day notice plus detailed explanation to discharge an IG, but not apparently in Trump world. Even some of his ardent supporters are baffled by this move.
Trump is again threatening military action to seize the Panama Canal in violation of U.S. treaty obligations, based upon a feigned and thoroughly discredited claim that China somehow is controlling access and pricing of the Canal. Remember what the late linguist and erstwhile temporary U.S. Senator S.I. Hayakawa said about the Canal: “after all we stole it fair and square.” Evidently that describes the Trump doctrine as well.
In the form of tv personality Pete Hegseth we now have have an extreme right-wing religious zealot Secretary of Defense, totally inexperienced in military (or any business) management who will oversee the vast use of American forces under Trump. Who would ever have imagined that a Republican nominee would be so unsuitable that Mitch McConnell would vote against him.
And yesterday Colombia, arguably our top ally in South America, like Mexico earlier, refused to accept military flights from the U.S. intending to dump deportees to which Trump, claiming without legal authority that the refusal jeopardized our national security, announced that the United States will immediately impose a 25 percent tariff on all Colombian imports, and will raise them to 50 percent in one week, also imposing severe banking and financial sanctions against Colombia and will apply a travel ban and revoke visas of Colombian government officials. Both Mexico and Colombia have made it clear that they would not interfere with civilian flights but object to the militarization and criminalization of their nationals being returned from the U.S., none of whom on these flights evidently have been guilty of anything more than the misdemeanor of entering the U.S. without documentation.
It isn’t unusual for a new administration to announce it will review and revise existing programs put in place by a prior administration, particularly if of a different party. But last week Trump summarily suspended and immediately terminated all foreign aid except for military assistance for Egypt and Israel (but not Ukraine or Taiwan) and for emergency food distribution, but disabling military assistance programs, vital life-saving health assistance, water and sanitation projects in other countries, humanitarian de-mining, refugee relocation and protection around the world, among other life-critical programs. Several commentators have observed that people definitely will die as a result while the administration dithers.
The small trans population has virtually been erased from existence in the United States by executive edict, and our health care and disease prevention systems may be shattered if the choices to assume cabinet positions are approved.
To all of which JD Vance did his usual double backflip and supported Trump’s actions, having specifically and explicitly opposed most such moves as recently as two weeks ago. One or two Republican legislators publicly said “tut tut” but otherwise were silent. Most of the western world is in shock; China has been silent thus far. Only V. Putin has spoken out, applauding comrade Trump.
To my way of thinking these actions, insane as they may seem, remove any doubt that we are now plainly operating as a fascist state controlled by an autocratic and oligarchic (and definitely kakistocratic) few with little, if any, effective opposition. If free midterm elections proceed as scheduled next year -- and a big “if” given what now seem like comparatively mild Republican voter suppression actions taken to date and given the prospect of far worse to come -- and if Trump is not repudiated big time, history well may record this month as the final end of the American era as a democratic republic.
If you too are concerned, please spread the word. Ask any like-minded acquaintances to join us and to speak out as loudly as they are able. Draft a letter to your local newspaper. Write to your Senato— rs, even if Democrats, and implore them to act against the collapse of our political legal system. Write your own opinion piece and circulate it. But do something. You’ll sleep better tonight if you do.