“The strong do what they can and the weak suffer what they must.” This warning by an Athenian general to a would-be neutral in its war with Sparta was essentially the United States’ motto as it expanded from the Atlantic to the Pacific Ocean, displacing or killing indigenous peoples, and then seizing the remnants of Spain’s empire in the Caribbean and Pacific.
Later the US expanded its global reach by economic power and its promises of military assistance against aggressors. Since the time of Woodrow Wilson, however, the United States has often stood up for small nations struggling for independence from foreign bullies. In 1932, the United States enunciated the principle of never recognizing territorial or political changes accomplished by force.
Donald Trump’s Shocking Ukraine Mistake
No longer.
The USA under Donald Trump is the bully threatening the independence of Panama, Canada, Greenland, Gaza, and now, Ukraine.
It backs Russia’s claim to take away one-fifth of Ukraine and incorporate four of its border regions and the Crimean peninsula into the Russian Federation.
Not by accident, its lead negotiator is a real estate developer like the president himself, always looking for a deal.
Washington would deny Kyiv’s option to join NATO or invite foreign troops onto its soil to buttress its security.
Breaking with earlier US promises, the Trump administration may simply stop all forms of military and other assistance if Ukraine refuses to give Putin the rewards he seeks for his aggression.
Why Would Trump Do This?
Trump repeats the despicable falsehood that the victims of aggression should be blamed for the war—even as Russian shells kill more Ukrainian children and adult civilians.
Is there no legal punishment for a president who lies about matters of life and death?
The US president condemns the international court for identifying war crimes instigated by his soulmate, Russian President Vladimir Putin, and his partners in kidnapping Ukrainian children.
Trump orders an end to the radio broadcasts authorized and paid for by Congress that bring trustworthy news to Russians and other nations of the former Soviet Union and those who stand in the dark shadow of Chinese ambition.
What Happens Next?
Trump’s posture toward victims of aggression does not inspire confidence in those who might be the next targets of Russian or Chinese or North Korean expansion—from Estonia to Taiwan and South Korea. The more that Trump makes anyone question US reliability, the greater the danger of a global catastrophe that will not spare Americans.
Is there no bulwark against a president who actively threatens US security by undermining its alliances and aligning with an imperialist dictator? Are there no Republicans or business titans who would join Democrats in a transcendent cause?
About the Author: Dr. Walter Clemens
Walter Clemens is Associate, Davis Center for Russian and Eurasian Studies, Harvard University, and Professor Emeritus of Political Science, Boston University. He wrote The Republican War on America: Dangers of Trump and Trumpism (2023)
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Devon Stavrowsky
April 29, 2025 at 12:32 am
It took Reagan two years to clean up the mess Carter left. But then we had two decades of prosperity as a result. Trump has only been in office 100 days, and the mess left by Biden was much worse. The national debt was far worse, inflation was as bad, and the US had overseased much more manufacturing. Anyone disappointed in Trump not having instant results in economic improvement has no concept of how economies work. There is already nearly 8 TRILLION in investment in US manufacturing… but those new factories are not going to be built in a matter of days.
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Jacksonian Libertarian
May 2, 2025 at 9:59 pm
“Captains should study tactics, but Generals must study logistics.”
The Logistics calculation is clear.
The US wasted $200 billion in a quagmire (trench warfare is WWI insanity) that gains America nothing, and only feeds a bloated, monopolistic, and incompetent military-industrial complex.
Trump is right to end it in any way necessary, and if Putin ends up getting territory, “so be it”.
If Ukraine were going to win back territory, it would have done it already.
Time to face reality.
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Swamplaw Yankee
May 20, 2025 at 5:55 am
Hey, this unilateral scam of the USA pre-date the MAGA elite POTUS. By a lot.
In 1964 a letter from POTUS stopped the muslim takeover of Cyprus.
In 1974 there was a letter from POTUS and the muslim did takeover Cyprus. Minus the British held land. Somehow the KGB managed to stop the signed Nixon POTUS letter from being delivered. There is a Tom Cruise movie on this mole penetration inside the POTUS office being solved! NOT!
Clinton air bombed the Han CCP embassy in Belgrade. Unilaterally, as his personal scam on the fact the CCP was alert when the CIA was snoring. For some screwed up reason the USA sent a USA stealth fighter plane into Yugoslavia to be hit. The parts flew all over the peasant farmland and parts were collected. By farmers. The Han CCP realized that free Yankee stealth tech was out there everywhere for the taking. The Han CCP just drove idly about, collected and got billions of stealth air frame tech that the Han CCP still uses today. Clinton smeared + blamed the allies and the French, especially, were pissed off.
In 2014 Obama Democrats unilaterally free, no-cost, gifted the geopolitical advantage of the middle east to their prime cold war enemy, Putin, with the green lighting of his attack on ancient Ukrainian soil of Crimea and its Ukrainian families. Putin was ecstatic by this USA green light and immediately sent his “little green groomers” to work with russian traitors in kidnapping Ukrainian children for his now famous sex trade in Moscow.
The USA still offers zero proof from 2014 that the Democrat Obama cabal did not green light their covert gift action with the cold war enemy. There is no proof that this “attack” data was shared with all NATO allies for their understanding and approval.
So, Biden could have blown the whistle in 2014. Obama facilitated the takeover of Crimea, the human trafficking of little girls and boys by refusing to lead NATO and the EU with military aid to Ukraine. The Epstein disease in the Democratic elite just could not stop the widespread distribution of little children to very needy russian language “teachers” and the russian owners of dusty heirloom table tops.
Once, the news of free children at no-cost spread through the russian peasant ethnics, Putin became their hero, adored for restoring a thousand year tradition of bi-annual sex trade caravans into the Ukrainian hinterland. Now, Putin air lifted the kidnap victims out of Ukraine free, no-cost, direct into needy waiting orc hands.
The answer is that there is zero demand in 2025 to stop the Epstein disease. No US agency will demand that the US constitution be applied to Putin. They all have kept quiet, silent, facilitating since 2014. Putin can kidnapping “Lolita” style this very hour. The POTUS will today refuse to demand a pre-payment of $10,000,000 in gold bullion to each and every Ukrainian kidnap victim as compensation and reparation. No agency will say, stop the “Lolita” style. It is unamerican. The russian peasant must be forced to accept negro, asian and arab child in accurate percentage. Discrimination by the russian peasant for only Ukrainian kidnap children must stop. Russian deviants must accept non-white children or face the penalty: be carpet bombed by US air force as a show of belief in the US constitution. The POTUS must show the international leaders that 11 years of discrimination by Putin will stop on/under his watch.
Ad rem: the two political parties in the USA seem very unwilling to demand in public from Putin pre-payment of compensation and reparation in gold bullion. No one in 2025 America wants to stand up to a blatant 11 years of free sex trading by Putin and demand he face immediate trial for his facilitating genocide of minors. That this is open and blatant in peasant russia demands even a greater focus on the moral nature of American inaction. -30-
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