A moment of decision

The following is an excerpt from an editorial in the Guardian:

American military force shaped the modern era. Sometimes it overthrew tyrannies and made the world safe, as in 1940s Europe. At other times it has made the world more dangerous, as in Vietnam and Iraq. In the civil war of the 1860s, the military preserved the Union at terrible but necessary cost.

Since then, with a handful of exceptions and then mostly only at the request of state governors, the U.S. military has been kept well out of domestic politics. America fiercely celebrates its military, but its laws place firm restrictions on military action within the United States itself.

Donald Trump is now actively agitating to dispatch American armed forces to crush protests on American soil. Whether he goes through with that threat depends on whether the protests, triggered by the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis, continue at the level experienced in dozens of cities during the past week. Nothing can be ruled out with this president.

Trump is infatuated with military and political strongmen. Though he evaded military service himself, he has a fetish about the forces. Early in the pandemic he egged on armed movements that protested against social distancing.

It may seem incredible that a president might seek the killing of his own people for political advantage. But as he battles to retain power, military officials and Republican candidates, as well as voters and foreign governments, will all have to decide which side they are on.