Weekly Mind Dump: What Do Greenland, the Panama Canal & Canada Have in Common?
And - There's no shame in being a Cassandra. And - On Jimmy Carter.
Week of 12/22-12/28/2024:
Marcus Aurelius said, “It is the act of a madman to pursue impossibilities.” Judge for yourself:
“For purposes of National Security and Freedom throughout the World, the United States of America feels that the ownership and control of Greenland is an absolute necessity.”
“We will demand that the Panama Canal be returned to the United States of America, in full, quickly and without question.”
“Many Canadians want Canada to become the 51st State. They would save massively on taxes and military protection. I think it is a great idea. 51st State!!!…It was a pleasure to have dinner the other night with Governor Justin Trudeau of the Great State of Canada.”
These, of course, are the latest lunatic ravings of Donald Trump, mere weeks before he has his diminutive finger back on the nuclear trigger — again thanks to the collective wisdom of American voters. And the usual Trump sycophants formed a chorus of cackling jackals supporting their master’s bombast as if it made sense.
Canada’s ambassador to the U.S. brushed off Trump’s pronouncements as humor. Greenland’s prime minister said the island is not for sale, and Panama’s president retorted, “Every square meter of the Panama Canal and its adjacent zone belongs to Panama and will remain so.”
According to The Wall Street Journal, the notion for purchasing Greenland came out of a breakfast between Elon Musk and Trump at the home of another billionaire. Another plutocrat, the heir to Estée Lauder fortune, initially got Trump hooked on the idea during his first term. At the prodding of my editor at the Washington Monthly, I teamed up with Danish journalists to do a joint article on it back then, but gratefully abandoned the project after Trump lost interest.
Too much is being read into these geopolitical delusions on the part of Trump. Observers cite the “Nixon madman theory,” concern over Chinese inroads, need to control rare earth minerals, a strategy to gain advantage on trade, etc.
I have a different take.
This is the same guy who proposed treating COVID by injecting bleach, ingesting horse medication and sticking a light bulb up one’s anus (or something). The same guy who suggested nuking hurricanes, insisted Mexico would pay for a border wall and urged the National Guard to shoot protesters. Just before last month’s election, 233 psychiatrists and other mental health professionals stated in an open letter their conviction that Trump exhibits narcissistic personality disorder, antisocial personality disorder, paranoid personality disorder and malignant narcissism. Add to these clear signs of early dementia.
In other words, he’s nuts. Nothing more should be read into his crazy rants. The man is an out-of-control sociopath.
Those who put him back in power will soon realize that actions have consequences. Show me historical examples where gratuitously pissing off one’s allies yields really positive results. Should Trump seriously pursue his nonsensical foreign policy ideas — now with no grown-ups to resist — expect to see alliances falling apart, friends making other arrangements for their security, economic chaos and likely war. The fascist leaders of Germany and Italy, acting on their expansionist delusions, brought about their own destruction, national collapse and the deaths of millions. Vladimir Putin is costing Russia 30,000 men a month and a failing economy as a result of his war of aggression against Ukraine. I rest my case.
Cassandra Calling. . .
A friend recently asked me, “Can you relate to Cassandra, the Trojan princess? Or at the least does her example whisper in your ear?” What she was getting at is that my commentaries on current politics raise alarm and predict a dark future for the American people. In fact, I get this from many people. Just to be clear, while I rarely don rose colored glasses when viewing current events, I do call shots as I see them based on many years having served as a diplomat in dictatorships as well as in Washington where I’ve witnessed from inside the belly of the beast plenty of dumb policy moves by our own leaders. I know up close and personal what it’s like to live in a failed state, in political systems where citizens live in fear of speaking openly; to witness tens of thousands of ordinary folks fleeing their homes as refugees; of seeing war casualties, starvation, genocide and chaos. I’ve sent dispatches from the field to Washington on the warning signs for instability and conflict. What I’m seeing in my own country now gives me pause. The Big Lie. QAnon superstition. Mass paranoia. Book banning. Project 2025. Threats to imprison political opponents. Mass deportations. Trampling of rights. Oligarchy. Fascism. Who’s to say “It can’t happen here?”
So, forgive me if I sound alarmist. But I’ve been there, done that, so to speak. And I’m deeply troubled with what I’m seeing in my own country. I like to think I follow the example of Tom Paine more than of Cassandra. But I’ll let you be the judge.
Jimmy Carter
I must confess I have mixed emotions about Jimmy Carter, who passed away this week at age 100. I had recently graduated from college when he was elected president. A student pal who campaigned for him got me a ticket to his inauguration ball. But I graduated just in time to enter a terrible job market, a government hiring freeze, gas lines, high inflation, soaring interest rates and what Carter called a “crisis of confidence.” Our youthful high hopes for change dissolved as we witnessed a president who seemed out of his depth and incapable of tackling the enormous challenges facing the nation. What we got was sanctimonious lecturing to turn down the heat and get a grip on ourselves. I entered the Foreign Service just as the Iran hostage crisis hit (Carter’s signature is on my presidential commission as a Foreign Service officer). Several friends were among those seized and abused by the Iranians. There were good reasons why Carter won only six states in the 1980 election.
That said, on foreign policy, there were the Camp David Accords, the Panama Canal Treaty, progress with the Soviets on arms control, establishing full relations with China and a greater emphasis on human rights. Domestically, Carter made significant achievements on environmental protection, education and expansion of national parks. And there are his many oft cited accomplishments after he left office.
What I’ll miss most about Jimmy Carter in the coming years is his integrity, morality, honesty, truthfulness and dedication to the American people. All will be sorely missing starting January 20, 2025.
The opinions and characterizations in this article are those of the author, and do not necessarily represent official positions of the U.S. government.
Great article! While his actions seem wildly reckless, I can’t help but wonder if there’s a calculated element behind them—not necessarily his calculations, but perhaps Putin’s. By isolating the U.S. from its allies, we weaken ourselves, which is undoubtedly something Putin desires.
RT has openly referred to Trump as the “destroyer of America” and a “friend of Russia.” Moreover, it was reportedly Putin who came to Trump’s financial rescue during his bankruptcies in the 2000s. The FSB has a long history of targeting influential individuals in financial distress, offering money to gain leverage over them—and I believe that’s exactly what happened here.
Trump’s own children made some telling comments around 2010, saying things like, “Russian money is pouring into our organization.” The implications are hard to ignore. We’ll learn even more in the coming weeks, especially if Trump takes office and lifts sanctions on Putin. If that happens, the writing is on the wall.
Thanks again for this article. It was a great read!
For me the trouble with being a Cassandra is that too many people ignore sage advice and analysis.
It is heartbreaking to be so right, as you are, and yet have people go along in their rush to fall off metaphorical cliffs.
So, no shame in being a Cassandra.
The blame is all on those who choose to be deaf and blind, who refuse to hear and see.