One of the many problems with prolonged wars, apart from the intense suffering it inflicts on the people on whose territory it is being fought, is that over time the whole purpose of the war becomes obscure. I am not talking about so-called ‘mission creep’ where the goals keep getting expanded, morphing from a quick effort to achieve a specific goal to becoming broader, such as creating a new government or infrastructure to replace what was destroyed, what is sometimes referred to as ‘nation building’.
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One of things that, if the issues were not so serious, would be comical about the recent spate of actions by neo-Nazis and white supremacists is how they try to hide their true intent under innocent-sounding explanations. For example, we suddenly find that the people who oppose the removal of statues of Confederate heroes are really just ardent devotees of history, and their only interest is in making sure that the history of the country is accurately represented. Advocating racism? Oh, heavens, no! How could you possibly think that? Then there are those who want to wear or fly the swastika symbol. They stoutly deny that they are doing so to promote Nazi ideology but insist that it is merely a religious symbol.
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When I look at Donald Trump is see someone who is analogous to a dangerous animal that has got used to being treated cautiously by those entrusted to look after him. But as he feels increasingly under threat, as his former allies either peel away or distance themselves from him and he gets more isolated, he will lash out more indiscriminately. As Matt Taibbi writes:
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Donald Trump is clearly going to make things worse in Afghanistan now that he has pledged an open-ended war there until the US ‘wins’. What winning means is never defined but it is not hard to imagine that as the inevitable stalemate drags on (as even his own secretary of state concedes is the best outcome the US can hope for), an increasingly frustrated Trump, wary of being branded a loser, will simply escalate the carnage, making life even more miserable for the already suffering Afghans. And the US media will praise him for ‘being presidential’ because there is nothing they like better than the killing of people of color overseas by massive military power..
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I just finished listening to Donald Trump’s highly promoted speech about what he plans to do in Afghanistan and to say that it was underwhelming is to put it mildly. There was absolutely nothing concrete in his 25-minute speech. About half of it was devoted to the obligatory pandering to the military and America, saying how they are the greatest and noblest fighting force in the world protecting the greatest and noblest nation on Earth.
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We know that Donald Trump knows little about policy and seems to care even less. What drives him seem to be greed and a pathetic need for approval, blended in with some nasty instincts. But we do know that he seems to enjoy most the pomp and ceremony of his office, as evidenced by his eagerness to be given the full royal treatment on his visit to the UK. He has always been driven by a desperate need for acceptance by those whom he seems to consider his betters, those who are more successful than him in business and those who belong to high society. Becoming president would enable him to feel superior to all those whom he felt had looked down at him all these years.
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