ALLIANCES IN TURMOIL

In September of 1938, Adolph Hitler issued an ultimatum to Czechoslovakia, demanding it transfers the Sudetenland, a border region, to Germany. He threatened acquisition by force if the country did not comply. This ultimatum led to the "Munich Agreement," in which Britain, France, and Italy ceded the land to Germany in exchange for a promise of peace. Czechoslovakia was excluded from negotiations. After taking control of Sudetenland, Hitler occupied the remaining Czech lands. The Nazis had already annexed Austria in March of that year, and the following year they invaded Poland. This historical context provides a potential framework for assessing President Donald Trump's imperial ambitions, which came into sharper focus after our troops executed "Operation Absolute Resolve," launching airstrikes in Venezuela, assuming control of its oil fields, and incarcerating President Nicolas Maduro and his wife, transferring them to the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn, New York. Trump explains his actions as a reinterpretation of the original 1823 "Monroe Doctrine," which he now re-labeled the "Donroe Doctrine," asserting that he would impose U.S. dominance over the entire Western Hemisphere. His primary objectives appear to be countering European colonization, pushing back against Russia, China and Iran's growing economic and political presence in Latin America, particularly their involvement in Venezuela's oil sector. All countries, from Canada to Argentina would have to yield to Washington; Venezuela would sell oil on terms set by the U.S.; Cuba's left-wing regime would be replaced; And troops could be deployed against the cartels "running Mexico." He simultaneously and increasingly insisted that he would seize control over Greenland, an autonomous territory within the Kingdom of Denmark, a NATO ally, "the easy way or the hard way." Mr. Trump's expansionist designs run counter to the rules-based international order established after World War II. Threatening the take-over of a NATO ally would likely be the end of NATO as we know it. NATO is considered the world's strongest and most successful military alliance, combining vast economic power - nearly half the world's - with significant military might and a collective defense commitment (Article 5) that deters attacks. Trump has openly refused to rule out leaving NATO over Greenland. A U.S. attack on the territory could force other members to ban together in active opposition, an obligation under NATO and E.U. rules. The treaty that created NATO did not contemplate an attack by one ally on another. In an attempt to force Trump to back off, at least eight European countries sent troops to Greenland. Mr. Trump was not deterred, and imposed a 10% tariff on imports from those countries. The fast moving situation is reminiscent of "Cold War" brinkmanship, a strategy developed by Secretary of State John Foster Dulles in the 1950s, intended to push a dangerous condition to the verge of war to achieve a favorable outcome. Its purpose is opposing forces into conceding by demonstrating extreme resolve. It essentially takes a page out of Hitler's strategic assumptions identified in "Mein Kampf." Another organization with a stake in the outcome of this highly volatile, rapidly escalating, international crisis is the United Nations. Here again, Donald Trump does not seem to care. He considers the U.N. irrelevant. He actually signed an order in January directing the U.S. to withdraw from 31 U.N. entities and 35 other international organizations, citing that they no longer serve U.S. interests. He even invited multiple countries to join his so-called "Board of Peace" initiative, which he described as a "bold new approach to resolving global conflict," an obvious attempt at undermining the U.N.. Permanent memberships are being sold at $1 billion each. Trump is resisting that his claims run counter to international law. He insists that it depends on what your definition of international law is, and that his power is limited by his "own morality." In a jaw dropping letter to Norway's Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store he admits that his pursuit of Greenland is personal. He confessed that he is threatening to seize Greenland because he is upset that he did not win the Nobel Peace Prize. "Considering your country decided not to give me the Nobel Peace Prize for having stopped 8 wars PLUS, I no longer feel an obligation to think purely of Peace --- I have done more for NATO than any other person since its founding, and now NATO should do something for the United States. The world is not secure unless we have complete and total control of Greenland." Our descent into the fascist abyss and our disregard for long-term allies has become frighteningly close to President Trump's focused attempt at establishing an imperial presidency. Russian-born New York Times columnist Masha Gessen succinctly judged that Trump's abrupt return to a "spheres of influence" model of geopolitics would be a death blow to the law-based humanistic world order and a gift for Russia and China. By declaring his right to invade and plunder America's neighbors, he has "licensed China's Xi Jinping to seize Taiwan, and Russia's Vladimir Putin to take as much of Europe as he wants to bite off." It may seem trite to perpetually compare Donald Trump's policies and rhetoric with those of Nazi Germany, however, the similarities are intensifying and inescapable. We need to wake up and put a stop to them before it is too late. Theo Wierdsma