International Relations, US National Politics

Diplomatic Drop Out

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It does the US no good to fake diplomacy on the world stage. It causes our enemies to say the president has a learning disability. Ivanka Trump playing secretary-of-state or first-lady without any credentials, and Donald Trump using the DMZ between North and South Korea to embrace a despot hurts our global standing, and that will hurt us nationally. Each day the world loses faith and trust in the United States of America, and each day authoritarians and those who trade in hate gain power.

Throughout the G20, Donald Trump has again embraced the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia, MSB, who ordered the killing and dismemberment of a US resident and journalist. Donald Trump once again embraced Putin, who helped him hack and steal the 2016 US presidential elections. They subsequently conspired to obstruct justice and whitewash the crimes through intimidation, violence, and murder. Donald Trump then met Kim Jong Un at the DMZ in what can only be seen as consenting to a lesser power. Donald Trump didn’t even use his power and position and make Kim Jong Un come to him just as he didn’t do with the first two meetings.

Ivanka Trump playing first lady or secretary of state didn’t do the US any favors as well. The entire world knows she is there to lift her and her husbands brand. That same brand which has a lot of business in China with voting machines and Israeli real estate developments passed off as a Palestinian peace process. They know she represents the corrupted nature of the US government, and they see it all as decline. They know this represents the implosion of a hegemon and the ushering in of what might be multi-polar chaos. Those who support this regime openly seek that chaos. Those who seek consensus understand what happened the last time we fell into multi-polar chaos.

We’re crumbling inside because of ethnic nationalism and greedy corruption stealing natural and social resources. We’re crumbling inside because justice and truth are silenced and those who seek structural reform and reconciliation are ignored. We’re crumbling inside because we have a president hellbent on committing crimes against humanity to be ‘infamous’ rather than ‘famous.’ We’re crumbling outside our borders with economy killing trade wars and cooperation busting climate denial. The rhetoric Donald Trump uses can cause the middle-east to fall into a world war does us no good — the writings on the wall.

It’s visible but unseen by many just how far the US has slipped into tyranny. The world will play along and let Donald and Ivanka have their photo opportunities, but they are moving forward without us in every other way. They are moving forwards because policy and progress are not achieved with photo ops. The Trump regime is not governing; they are grifting and turned the United States into an authoritarian regime. We cannot always think of our exceptionalism and believe we’re immune to authoritarians and their chaos. The Trump family playing government looking nothing other than a despotic regime continues to erode the United States from the inside and out.

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International Law

Presidential Authority: How the Ink Dries in Post-9/11

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Did we start the post-9/11 frenzy of military activity legally? Did the President and subsequent leaders follow the constitution of the United States of America? To many Americans, these types of questions surrounding the terrorist attack on 9/11 and legality cause an audience to squirm and fidget. Understandably so, post-9/11 military activity appears to be held to much more scrutiny and confusion than previous campaigns. This essay, however, is going to attempt to rationalize, defend and attack three main focal points of presidential authority post-9/11. Firsthand, the removal of the Taliban government in Afghanistan was legal and warranted after the incident on 9/11. Indefinite detention of alleged combatants is not legal and is not supported in the Authorization for Use of Military Force (S.J.Res.23). The final focal point is not nearly as straightforward as the previous two points. Drone technology places the President and US at a cross-roads in definition and accountability that could end up being quite dangerous. This essay posits the use of drone technology in Pakistan is legal simply because it is not illegal. Before making any argument, understanding the dialogue on authority and the debate surrounding these questions must be highlighted.

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International Relations

Screaming Match with Iran

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The United States shares an insidious and dirty history with Iran that causes deep mistrust. Throughout our history, we have used coercive diplomacy and international ambiguity, which do not help build any confidence between our two nations. Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei, has intense ideas of sovereignty and would view any strike against Iran’s nuclear facilities as an attack against his regime. Khamenei’s ideological evolution said to be based on a “cosmopolitan past,” is the product of deep religious studies and ardent relationships with secular intellectuals within Iran (Ganji 26). Iran is no stranger to American-led regime change and values its sovereignty with fierce conviction.  From Morocco to Pakistan, the Middle East, and Northern Africa, the countries are a tinderbox waiting for an ill-flicked cigarette to set it all ablaze. There is considerable fear that any unilateral move by America would be that spark. Trust, or rather mistrust, was the catalyst that ignited these poor relations but could be the bandage that heals our festering wounds. However, “some portray any progress – More so than reaching a new level of trust – as a critical first step” (Peterson 1). A unilateral military strike undertaken by the United States of America against Iran’s nuclear facilities will have unforeseen international consequences.

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