John Feffer, Foreign Policy in Focus

Even though the January 6 riot ended up being far more antagonistic and violent toward the police than any #BLM demonstration, it was a direct repudiation of the efforts by African Americans and others against police brutality, political disenfranchisement, and economic inequality.

In real life, the fog of war or the fog of disease or the fog of recession descends upon the populace. There are countless casualties. And in the end, no one is declared a winner.

While policy-makers squabble about Build Back Better, climate change continues to contribute to major wildfires, droughts, and other disasters across the United States.

No diplomatic solution is possible without serious pressure on Putin.

Putin’s once formidable alliance of global sympathizers has been hemorrhaging support by the day.

Even the new administration’s signature phrase “America is back” suggests restoration rather than transformation. Like a corporate team scrambling to reestablish brand loyalty after a disastrous product failure, the Biden team has repeatedly emphasized reassurance.

Trumpism, which started out as a simple-minded rejection of the liberal status quo, has become something else: a thorough rejection of democratic procedures and a darkly conspiratorial hatred of federal power.

After Trump lost the 2020 election, even those in his close circle of advisors began to question the president’s sanity. There was a distinct possibility that a real mad man now held the reins of power and that he was willing to do pretty much anything to stay in the Oval Office, up to and including a coup.

Trump didn’t just tie his successor’s hands. He handcuffed them to the throttle of a runaway train.