Dear Progressive Reader,

President Donald Trump released his new “National Security Strategy for the United States” document a week or so ago, and as analysts drill into it, there are some interesting departures from past policy documents issued by other U.S. Presidents. For one thing, the two nations most often viewed a competitors with the United States for dominance on the world stage (China and Russia) are barely mentioned. The word “China” first appears on page nineteen of the twenty-nine-page manifesto, and only appears twenty-one times; the word “Russia,” arguably the number one focus of U.S. security planning for most of the previous several decades, only appears ten times, the first being on page twenty-five! Additionally, the nation of Venezuela, recently receiving more U.S. military attention than any other country, is not mentioned at all! The current so-called Operation Southern Spear, launched on November 13, is costing in excess of $18 million per day, and ultimately the price tag will be much greater.

The planning document for future U.S. policy and action, in many ways restructures expectations regarding both goals and alliances. By almost ignoring longtime adversaries and recasting the image of longtime allies like Western Europe, the new security agenda—“America should similarly enlist our European and Asian allies and partners, including India, to cement and improve our joint positions in the Western Hemisphere”—reads very much like the famous scene in the 1972 film The Godfather, where New York’s five Mafia families divide up the territory to establish a fragile (though volatile) peace agreement based on mutual economic and power interests. Ultimately, however, as in the classic “Godfather” films, Trump laws down the terms of any cooperation unequivocally: “The United States will chart our own course in the world and determine our own destiny, free of outside interference.”

While apparently acceding to a tripartite power-sharing vision, the Trump Administration stakes a clear claim on power in the Americas, postulating a “ ‘Trump Corollary’ to the Monroe Doctrine,” terming it “a common-sense and potent restoration of American power and priorities, consistent with American security interests.” The Monroe Doctrine, first promulgated 202-years-ago this month, has been best described as leading to “massive human rights violations through CIA-backed coups d’état in Guatemala (1954) and Chile (1973), and support for dictatorships carrying out dirty wars in both Central and South America in the 1970s to 1990s.”

Finally, the document also reaffirms the dangerous planning for a revitalized nuclear weapons program to build “the world’s most robust, credible, and modern nuclear deterrent, plus next-generation missile defenses—including a Golden Dome for the American homeland—to protect the American people, American assets overseas, and American allies.” All of this, including the timing of its publication, should be viewed with great concern by all Americans and the rest of the world.

In another frightening move, the White House announced last week its new website listing media stories unfavorable to Trump and his policies. Bringing back echoes of former President Richard Nixon’s “enemies list” which included the name of Erwin Knoll, then editor of The Progressive, this website, which features a “media offender of the week,” lists recent stories by a variety of outlets, listing the name or names of the reporters involved and the accusations of bias toward each. One example was a short news story by Wisconsin Public Radio reporter Corrinne Hess (whose name is incorrectly spelled on the White House website) that merely describes and links to a new Department of Education policy that no longer classifies nursing as a “professional degree,” making it more difficult to obtain financial assistance for pursuing such a degree. The Trump Administration’s response?: “The Department of Education utilizes the term ‘professional degree’ as an internal classification to distinguish among programs that qualify for higher loan limits, not a judgement about the intrinsic value of the profession.” But, this does nothing to address the point Hess raises in the 591-word report: “That means getting financial help to complete advanced degrees in nursing and other health care professions could become more difficult at a time when Wisconsin is facing a shortage.”

This week on our website, Kathy Kelly raises awareness about ongoing brutality against Palestinians in the West Bank, even as the world’s eyes remain fixed on the horrific scenes in Gaza; Mike Ervin alerts us to a resolution currently before the U.S. Senate (it has already passed in the House) that condemns “socialism” and ignores the harms of capitalism; and Faith Boninger explores the dangers of Meta’s partnership offer to schools. Plus, Robert Kim pens an op-ed on the ways vouchers hurt public schools; and Elizabeth Jacobs and James Alwine opine on Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s growing threat to public health.

Finally, Christopher D. Cook, regular writer for The Progressive, has just authored a new autopsy report for RootsAction on how the Democratic Party lost the White House in 2024. The key takeaways, according to a review in The Guardian: “a massive drop in Democratic turnout” caused in part by “messaging that was out of touch with voters’ economic anxieties” and “prioritizing an appeal to moderate, suburban Republicans over mobilizing its core working-class and progressive base,” along with “Harris’s refusal to signal any meaningful shift from the Biden Administration’s deeply unpopular policy on Israel and Gaza alienated Arab American, Muslim, young, and progressive voters, costing critical support in swing states.” The prescription? “To win back the White House and Congress, we urge the Democratic Party to change course and embrace economic populist policies that inspire and help working-class Americans. The Democratic Party must show voters that it has a spine and can stand up to corporate and big-money interests.”

Please keep reading, and we will keep bringing you important articles on these and other issues of our time.

Sincerely,

Norman Stockwell
Publisher

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