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Countries that cherish democratic values need to take a stand against the president-elect’s throwback to unabashed American expansionismSat 11 Jan 2025 18.00 GMTShare230
Watching politicians promise one thing, then do another, is a common experience in all democratic countries. Situations in which voters do not expect a politician to keep his word, and in many instances fervently hope and pray he will not, are rarer. Donald Trump, the US president-elect, fits this latter category. When Trump threatens to subjugate Canada, a Nato ally, by force, unilaterally annex Greenland, the autonomous territory of a friendly EU state, and override Panama’s sovereignty for bogus security reasons, most people assume he is not serious and his remarks carry little real significance. This response, while comforting, is a mistake.
It’s entirely possible that Trump, pumped with hype, hot air and testosterone in the lead-up to his 20 January inauguration, is being gratuitously disruptive. He likes to shake things up. It amuses his Make America Great Again (Maga) hyper-nationalist fanclub. It may be that this former property developer and convicted felon, who counts himself a shrewd negotiator, is deliberately raising the stakes before more reasoned discussions about security and trade. But it is also possible Trump means what he says.
If so, Trump will be following a well-trodden, discredited path. These days it It is somehow considered impolite, especially if you are British, to remind Americans that their republic was also once an unapologetically imperial power. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, US administrations aggressively pursued their own version of the colonial empires of contemporary Britain, Germany and France. In 1893, the sovereign state of Hawaii (whose royal family enjoyed close ties to Queen Victoria) fell victim to an American-assisted coup. In 1898, the US annexed Hawaii. Guam, Samoa and Puerto Rico followed. America’s loosely interpreted “manifest destiny” demanded ever more. The Philippines, Cuba and even China were all on the receiving end of US political-military, commercial and territorial ambitions.
Far from being abandoned, neocolonialist American thinking persisted well into the latter half of the 20th century, operating under various guises. Newly-independent countries in Africa, the Middle East and Asia, liberated from collapsing European empires, were invited to join the “free world”, as defined and dominated by Washington. America promised protection and prosperity within the US-policed, post-1945 cold war order in return for fealty (plus military bases, trade concessions and access to resources). States that declined the invitation, such as Iran, Vietnam and Nicaragua, paid a high price.skip past newsletter promotion
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Trump’s half-baked neo-imperialist tendencies are but one aspect of a deliberately disruptive modus operandi
Viewed from this perspective, Trump’s territorial ambitions are not so much an aberration as a throwback or regression to periods of unabashed American expansionism. And his motives are not dissimilar. As in the past, it’s all about security, cash and control. Greenland has valuable mineral wealth. It also has growing strategic importance, vis-a-vis China and Russia, as the Arctic sea ice melts and new trade routes open up. The US already maintains a military base there. Trump sees a lucrative opportunity – and by absorbing Greenland’s vast territory, a chance to make America even greater, again. Trump claims the protectionist, high-tariff America First policies he espouses were the reason why the US, at the height of the Gilded Age in the 1890s, was, in his words, “probably the wealthiest it ever was because it was a system of tariffs”. Like Denmark and Panama (where Trump would like to get his hands on the canal), Canada has robustly rejected his turgid annexation fantasies. But mercantilist ideas dating from that period plainly influence his thinking, such as it is. Justin Trudeau, Canada’s prime minister, says Trump’s menacing talk is a tactic designed to distract attention from the damaging inflationary impact of his threatened 25% increase in taxes on Canadian imports such as oil, electricity, timber and steel. “Everything American consumers buy from Canada [is] suddenly going to get a lot more expensive if he moves forward on these tariffs,” Trudeau warned.
The broader, significant point is that Trump’s half-baked neo-imperialist tendencies are but one aspect of an overall, deliberately disruptive modus operandi designed to suborn, co-opt and disadvantage friend and foe alike. His intervention helped spur pre-existing turbulence in Canadian politics, resulting in Trudeau’s resignation. He has stirred up the longstanding independence debate in Greenland, where most people would probably prefer to be free of both Copenhagen and Washington. In Mexico, another target of his geopolitical wrecking ball, Trump’s antics grimly recall decades of Yanqui bullying and meddling in Latin America.
The crass activities of Trump’s sycophantic office boy, businessman Elon Musk, are all of a piece with this strategy of anti-democratic disruption and destabilisation. By backing far-right parties in Germany and France, imposing his ignorant opinions on British politics and picking gratuitous fights with the EU, all the while hiding behind the fuzzy screen of unaccountable, fact-free social media, Musk advances a Trump agenda that is fundamentally about control. Control of politicians and political discourse, control of open debate and communication, control of territory, trade and wealth, to be achieved through transactional deal-making, crude barter, intimidation, humiliation, subversion and, ultimately, through threats of force.
This is how Trump operates. For him, this is “strongman” leadership. For others, it resembles mafioso-style extortion. It is this imperious, domineering, unscrupulous, manipulative and unprincipled, self-serving behaviour that the world’s leaders must face up to once again over the coming four years. Britain and like-minded countries that cherish democratic values and free societies should not duck the challenge. Better to take a stand and draw a line now, as Greenland’s leaders have bravely done, than risk being steamrollered into subservience and satrapy.
Think for yourself
Hopefully one day Trump will have zero power, and GOP will stop selling their souls for TWO year terms
What about the People
Global warming is real
YES build canals and desalination plants immediately
I've updated this 15th Sept 2024 I'm Michael Casey from Birmingham England, the fat silver haired writer in shades. Beware of Others with the EXACT SAME NAME, they are not me, and would not want to be me ... use Google UK to find me, otherwise Posh Americans pop up I've done loads of writing, about 3,000,000 Words worth over 36years now But before I started to write, I LISTENED to BBC Radio 4 for 20 years, from the age of 10 or younger Frank Brown our lodger, went back to County Tyrone and he gifted us his Bush Radio. He'd be nearly 102 now if he is still alive, so say a prayer for him 56 years in love with words, and I still look so dashing. I have a picture in the attic, just like Dorian Gray I've also had an interest in Politics for 56 years with my dad heckling the tv and Politicians. I almost immediately had a hit, a play called Shoplife was accepted but not finally produced by a Theatre. The Kenneth More Theatre, so thank them for sparing you all. This was back in 1989 yes, 35 years ago, the play was written in 1988. So since then I'm more than good enough, as a writer. Anything else..... I also ignore those who just cannot write, pick your own candidate I tend to write Comedy as I'd rather make you laugh than cry I have written over 2000 short pieces of writing, yes 2000 " (c) by Michael Casey" If you include "chats" 5000 samples, all told, the chats do NOT go into my books when I compile them. My first book ,a full length comedy/drama is The Butcher The Baker and The Undertaker You can read translations of it here on this site Up to 20 different languages/translations have been read on the same day via this site, here on Wordpress look fo Translations Galore page, and more And in over 167 Countries world wide too so you have no excuse, find your own language and read The Butcher The Baker and The Undertaker or Quick Stories or any other of the books in Translation on my Wordpress This proves to me that the humour does travel I have readers in over 167 countries now, just to repeat myself From Nepal to American Samoa and all places North South East and West Or its just a hit man on the run, or whatever Unknown Region Means It may also mean that only non English Speakers like my stuff Coverage but lacking penetration as marketing folks might say I did get 21,000 readers in 3 weeks for the Polish version of In Search of an Indian Princess. which is basically the final 3 chapters of The Butcher The Baker and The Undertaker all by word of mouth. And 50,000 plus in Christmas week 2021 If you add up all the downloads from my Wordpress + 13,000 when somebody stole the file. I have had more copies than Boris Johnson's Churchill book distributed. Maybe 40,000 copies . Not made a penny from it, free downloads in multiple languages. Reverse Logic, if the world knows me, eventually somebody will pay me But in reality I'll be dead first, and then just 2 pennies to pay the ferryman is enough I've cut the Plaudits, you can read/decide for yourself As for my life, I was born in the shadow of a Brewery, I was a computer operator for a market research company into alcohol sales, 21 years altogether, StatsMR Call centre guy, like everybody once in their life I was also a Trainee Betting Shop Manager I was a concierge and 10 other roles at Crowne Plaza NEC Birmingham for 3 years. Spent 3 years at Pinsent Masons Law firm in Birmingham I even hid a copy of my comic novel "BBU" in the Law Library at Pinsent Masons, well just for a day.. I did a few other jobs too, working life in reverse so to speak and I was an Esol English teacher in an Islamic school, for a year, I knew I could teach. I got Excellent, Excellent and Exemplary on the external assessment, yes really And I asked them to pray for me at least once a day beside which I've had a Shanghai connection for 20+ years now, including 2 bilingual daughters and being a hausfrau a long time too, I'm a great dad, as I've had lots of time with my daughters I can always make somebody talk or laugh I believe my short stories could be used to teach English, just package them up correctly or App them Or a Tale a Day from Michael, a story telling App What else, I was brawn and brains, I used to be as strong as an Ox, now I just smell like one We have a cat called Totoro, my daughters wanted a pet I said they could have a dog if I died , or a cat if I had a heart attack. A few weeks after that in Jan 2015 I had an Unplanned Quadruple Heart Bypass , it was supposed to be a triple but it ended up a Quadruple, 33% extra free so to speak. Now with an add on Hernia, the size of your fist, pushing through my bypass scar, it hurts when I laugh, so don't make me laugh I also have arthritis and other hindrances that hobble my body and give me pain galore. But my mind is free, though having read my stories you may wish I didn't bother But I'll ignore you, and carry on regardless. I do get heckled by my own Tinnitus these past 5 years+, so I have music on all night long to drown it out. I sleep with Miley, Taylor, Eric Clapton and Will Young, maybe I should buy a bigger bed, or just get a better mattress. Tinnitus is a curse, just trust me I know, each day I wake up, Tinnitus SCREAMS at me for a full hour till it calms down or not at all, a merry go around of noise That's the end of the tidy version of my life To finish here's the list of my 20 books, so far:- 1.The Butcher The Baker and The Undertaker 2.Shoplife 3.Essays and Plays 4.Blogs 2011 5.300 and Not OUT 6.Shorts 2013 7.More Shorts 2014 8.Quick Stories 9.Still Alive 2015 10.Undiscovered Words 2016 11.Still Smiling 2017 12.Altogether Now 13.New Horizons 14.14 Up 15.15 Down 16.Sweet Sixteen 17. 17 Again 18. 18 New Views 19. The Final Cut of the 19th Hole 20. 2020 Words 21. Fresh Fields, i decided was a better title, when the USA election is over I'll launch it 96,000 words so far I write bullet point stuff mainly now as Tinnitus stops me from getting in the zone to write, story stories. (c) by Michael Casey stuff though my bullet points are better than some "writers" discuss, miaow. That's why I dream of a speed typist, so I could dictate from the sofa https://www.amazon.co.uk/Michael-Casey/e/B00571G0YC to buy ebooks Loads of Korean and Arabic translations downloaded from my Wordpress, 1000s of them Quick Stories in Korean is a big hit. Maybe Kim in North Korea should read my books, instead of wasting his countries resources on what? Just keeping one person in power, him? Instead of joining the real world and opening a string on golf courses. That way we could get rid of Trump too. Into the sunset, as they play golf. Tears for a Butcher will be the sequel to BBU, and it too will be 600pages, however I really need a speed typist to put it down, while I sit and dictate like Barbara Cartland, and hopefully my speed typist would be impressed. we'd marry have half Korean kids, and form a Kpop band with our 4 new kids, with me as manager. my 2 daughters are at University now, so if you finally pay me, I can pass it on to them And yes this is more for my bucket list, as Tinnitus keeps me awake too much, 6 months of not sleeping till dawn is really killing me, it is the worse thing in my life ever, and I've had far to many horrible things. That's why I go the other direction and write comedy Michael Casey aka the fat silver haired writer in shades from Birmingham England https://2.gravatar.com/avatar/efda2dca0de5b9269191b7c8b0102473?s=400&d=mm View all posts by michaelgcasey
Short stories from Birmingham readers in 162 countries so far HEAR ME READ ALOUD 207 stories written & read by me https://profile.typepad.com/michaelgcasey https://michaelgcasey.typepad.com/blog/
Wednesday, 5 June 2024
IF I WERE. well worth repeating
Friday 28 January 2022
If I were (c) by Michael Casey
I've been on the sofa chilling as the tv was claimed by somebody else
So I woke up I suppose I was asleep, anyway dashed to the bathroom
But this is in my head, despite the SCREAMING from Tinnitus
If I were (c)
By
Michael Casey
If I were Black would you hate me
If I were White would you hate me too
If I were Straight would you hate me
If I were Gay would you. hate me too
If I were a Christian would you hate me
If I were a Jew. would you hate me too
If I were a Muslim would you hate me
If I were of No Faith would you hate me too
If I was Right would you hate me
If I were Left would you hate me too
If I was Political would you hate me
If I was total UNPolitical would you hate me too
If I was a Prude would you hate me
If I was a Nudist. would you hate me too
And If I were battered and bleeding in the gutter would you be a Good Samaritan
And if I were Jesus, would you Crucify me again
BUT
Love is Always Better than Hate
And despite the Tinnitus screaming in my head constantly
I beg Mary to ask her Son Jesus, Bring Peace on Earth Again
AMEN
Mary and Baby Jesus, they see no boundaries, they Love EveryOne
