Transactionalist or Terrorist?
America is now a kleptocratic oligarchy. The American government is now in the full control of robber barons, whose soul interest is in self-enrichment. Rather than compete, the kleptocrats, America’s richest of the 1%, have now become the equivalent of feudal lords, bending the knee to the Kleptocrat in Chief, Donald of Mara Lago.
Having won office by the narrowest of margins, yet through disinformation and the loyalty of his semi-literate followers, Trump has now ensconced himself into the White House, which as of this moment, is no longer a democracy.
The existing political elite of the United States, either must also bend the knee or be knee capped by the Don. Trump and his billionaire elite demand complete obeisance, nothing less. America saw billionaires lined up to, in effect, pledge loyalty and to provide at least a minimum offering to the King of American Theifdom.
Failure to do so will result in retribution, targeting, disinformation, and subsequently, governmental edicts or executive orders designed to force compliance or eradication.
Americans have, in their anger and stupidity, installed a parasite in the Oval Office. One powerful enough to control all the other parasites, or a Chief Antiparasitic Agent, but for one.
The chosen one who invested 250 million dollars in installing the King, has reaped a reward of 150 billion dollars, a mere pittance in order to become unequivocally the richest, and now, one of the most powerful humans on planet Kleptoearth.
What does this mean for the world?
In the short term, having all the power concentrated amongst so few kleptocrats, may seem like order. But as social unrest grows, which it will, and soon, the requisite use of military force, and newly formed policing and paramilitary thug groups, will create anger, already simmering at both ends of the political spectrum.
Mass deportations, the collapse of the underground economy, the loss of farm labour, and those needed to fill all the jobs that Americans feel is beneath them, will result in chaos, scarcity and rapidly escalating prices.
As those who have been promised access to the American dream finally wake up to the American nightmare, their anger and acts against those in power will lead to repression, arrest, convictions and removal of all those who fail to either comply or display adequate contrition.
In December 5th, 2010, a historian, Alfred McCoy wrote in TomDispatch, the following:
“The historian conducted what he called “a more realistic assessment of domestic and global trends.” Starting with the global context, he argued that, “faced with a fading superpower,” China, India, Iran, and Russia would all start to “provocatively challenge U.S. dominion over the oceans, space, and cyberspace.” At home in the United States, domestic divisions would “widen into violent clashes and divisive debates.… Riding a political tide of disillusionment and despair, a far-right patriot captures the presidency with thundering rhetoric, demanding respect for American authority and threatening military retaliation or economic reprisal.” But, that historian concluded, “the world pays next to no attention as the American Century ends in silence.”
He further wrote on November 21st, 2024, this;
“By 2010, economic globalization was cutting good-paying factory jobs here, income inequality was widening, and corporate bailouts were booming—all essential ingredients for rising working-class resentment and deepening domestic divisions. Foolhardy military misadventures in Iraq and Afghanistan, pushed by Washington elites trying to deny any sense of decline, stoked simmering anger among ordinary Americans, slowly discrediting the very idea of international commitments. And the erosion of America’s relative economic strength from half the world’s output in 1950 to a quarter in 2010 meant the wherewithal for its unipolar power was fading fast.”
China’s rise was equally, fast. And its military combined with economic strength means it will eclipse America in short order.
Skip forward to today.
Trump’s tariffs will result in crippling American farm exports, thanks to retaliatory tariffs, and at the same time, consumer goods in America will become significantly more expensive. Higher inflation will slow consumer spending, and Americans will become angrier and more susceptible to acting out against those they blame.
All forms of energy will become appreciably more expensive, as counter tariffs by Mexico and Canada create significant price increases for all forms of fossil fuel supplies. Gas, oil, even electrical energy costs will skyrocket, yet supply will diminish.
America’s dependence on shale oil and fracking to fill the energy demand will come to a screeching halt. All the while Trump loses leverage over Canada and Mexico, essential to America’s future requirements.
Meanwhile, Trump is in the process of alienating his allies, denigrating NATO and would willfully force Ukraine to accept a bad peace settlement that would cement Russia’s seizure of 20% of Ukraine, without any promise for Ukraine to join NATO in the foreseeable future.
Which leads to NATO itself. Trump wants to withdraw from NATO calling it “obsolete”, and stating that those NATO allies that failed to pay 2% of their GDP in defence spending would forego the use of Article 5 in NATO’s constitution.
And now he is demanding 5% of GDP contributions to NATO, as America threatens to leave.
Trump will destroy America’s alliances in the Pacific as well, as he expects Taiwan should pay America for its Defense. Unlike his predecessor, Trump has made no commitment to defend Taiwan.
If China moves against Taiwan, either by imposing an economic blockade or by military intervention, Trump is unlikely to protect Taiwan. This will result in what Alfred McCoy calls, “A major blow to America’s Imperial role in the Pacific, potentially making it no longer a significant player in the security of its Asia-Pacific allies.”
On the home front, Trump’s policies towards America’s neighbours, Canada and Mexico will lead to diminished influence, and a strategic move away from America. His policies toward Asia, Europe and the international community will lead to a diminished American influence, increasing internal chaos, and the loss of global leadership.
Threats of use of military force or economic reprisal, both of which are in evidence by his comments this week, will undoubtedly lead to the world paying no attention to trump.
And so will end America’s Century. Not with a bang…but with utter silence.
And this doesn’t even consider the damage that climate change and how America’s ignorance and arrogance will make nature’s wrath, much, much worse.
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