Sleight of hand south of the border
What do politicians and magicians have in common? Both use a sleight of hand to create an illusion to distract the viewer from what is really happening. Recent events emanating from the Trump White House all serve to divert attention from the central issue haunting Donald Trump’s presidency: by what authority do you hold this office? Recent incidents ranging from the grim events in Charlottesville, the commencement of NAFTA negotiations, the resignation of Trump’s key alt-right advisor, Steve Bannon, and the continuing dance with North Korea, all effectively serve as a sleight of hand to divert attention away from the lack of legitimacy of the Trump presidency. “Patriotism,” Samuel Johnson once wrote, “is the last refuge of a scoundrel.”
There is an adage to the effect that a politician with low standings in the polls needs a war. Currently, U.S. President Trump has a dismal approval rating of only 34 per cent, the lowest recorded by any president at this stage in their term.
Trump’s sabre-rattling with North Korea and Venezuela serves a number of political purposes, the most important of which is a diversion from the ongoing Senate investigation into Trump’s possible collusion with Russia. Nothing whips up the public and diverts their attention from political farce and larceny more than a war.
The current crisis with North Korea however, raises an important constitutional issue - that is, can Trump start a war or launch a first strike without Congressional approval, or their delegating their authority to the President, as in Vietnam and Iraq? While the President is indisputably the Commander-in-Chief, only Congress according to Article 1, section 8, of the Constitution can declare war. This power is not shared with anyone, including the President. Furthermore, the prospect of the U.S. intervening in the internal affairs of Venezuela, again, raises the spectre of American “gunboat diplomacy”, where the U.S. between 1890 and 1930 invaded Central and Latin American countries over 100 times to protect American corporate interests.
Trump is playing with fire if he thinks the U.S. can revert to the role of being the world’s policeman. Those days are over. Last week, Canadian Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland said, “We stand by all our allies , ...including the U.S.,” while at the same time urging both the Americans and North Koreans to “deescalate” their rhetoric. Within this context Canada lost a marvelous chance to exercise international leadership and an opportunity to promote its own independent foreign policy. After all it was Trudeau senior who recognized (Red) China and established diplomatic relations with Castro’s Cuba, over American objections.
Trudeau junior could have promoted a diplomatic policy that played a positive role in resolving the current conflict between North Korea and the U.S., thus increasing Canada’s international standing and reputation. But Trudeau junior seems to be made of weaker stuff than his father. But there are political, as well as military, consequences to Trump’s bellicosity and rhetorical war mongering.
“When the drums of war have reached a fever pitch,” says a quote attributed to Caesar, “and the blood boils with hate and the mind has closed, the leader will have no need in seizing the rights of the citizenry. Rather, the citizenry ..., will offer up their rights unto the leader.” Both democracy and peace are fragile and should not be taken for granted.
Richard Deaton, Stanley Bridge