3 Responses to Manifest Destiny 2.0

1. philipcassell says:

   January 28, 2025 at 11:24 am

   The second time I tried to read the article, I was met with a paywall.
   Sent from my iPhone

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   • AbsentMindedCriticofEmpire says:

     January 28, 2025 at 12:20 pm

     It is possible to create a free account. You will be offered subscriptions but there is an option to continue without subscribing. Access to articles is limited if you don’t subscribe, not sure what the limit is. You may pay a price in unsolicited emails!

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2. AbsentMindedCriticofEmpire says:

   January 28, 2025 at 9:21 am

   It’s an interesting article that makes some good points about the nature of Trump’s appeal to many American citizens.

   I think the historical contrast between bad Populists and good Progressives might be a bit too neat.

   I’m not convinced that Trump and his acolytes fail to think about institutional “solutions”. Project 2025 is very much geared to this, and the clear-out of senior government officials is part of it, even though it risks causing chaos. Similarly, the pressure on academia is part of an attempt to recast what is seen as an institutional redoubt of the left.

   I can certainly see the dangers of personalising power in the hands of someone as capricious as Trump. I wouldn’t like to be the subordinate who plays the part of Sergeant Wilson: “Do you think that’s wise, sir?”

   Trump’s new imperial presidency does give him the chance to play the strong man, as we’ve just seen with Colombia. There may be some in the EU such as Macron who envy his ability to take a strong line in foreign policy instead of trying to keep 27 cats in line, and perhaps the EU is institutionally weaker in that respect. On the other hand, the NYT has noted how Trump’s negotiating style involves dramatic and aggressive escalation, and his style of “personal rule” could give that free rein. The question is, what happens when he eventually encounters an opponent unwilling to back down? However intellectually satisfying it might be to see him fail, a miscalculation could be very costly to a lot of innocent people. I can only hope he doesn’t entirely believe his own bullying rhetoric.  

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