The U.S.: From Superpower To Super Antagonist

Special To The Bulldog

Martin Luther King, Jr., the late civil rights leader, famously noted that “the arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends towards justice”.

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The author, Penny Collenette, is a lawyer, former federal Liberal candidate and former senior
director at the Prime Minister’s Office

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Yet, even King might agree that the world is not bending towards justice right now. Rather it is precariously swerving towards injustice and global chaos.

For decades, the U.S. enjoyed a reputation as the world’s superpower. However, in the space of only a few short weeks since President Donald Trump’s inauguration, America’s reliable superpower status has radically changed into that of an antagonistic power run amok.

Gone is any deference toward quiet diplomacy. Instead, aggressive schemes have quickly become the norm. Global jaws have dropped in shock and horror as Trump has lurched from one stunning pronouncement to another. Why not buy Greenland? Why not take back Panama? Why not make Canada the 51st state? Why not build a new Riveria-style real-estate development on the land where so many citizens of Gaza have recently perished?

Gone is any regard for lawful conduct. Trump feels persecuted by the rule of law. As a result, he has little time for fairness or due process. He has granted mega entrepreneur Elon Musk carte blanche to embark on a firing mission for U.S. government bureaucrats. Larry Herman, a noted international trade expert, recently wrote that “there are no rules that the U.S. can be expected to follow in ongoing trade relationships.”

Gone is respect for many global organizations. Trump has withdrawn from the Paris Climate Agreement and the World Health Organization as he did in his first administration. At least, the president appears to think the UN has some use – he has appointed an ambassador.

And most searingly, gone is any expectation that the U.S. will continue to care for others. The shuttering of US AID (Agency for International Development) has truly sent a massive chill through NGOs and charities throughout the world.

We are witnessing a president who is on a path to reorder the world according to his autocratic, narcissistic and greedy view of life. Like a grinning Cheshire cat, he uses countries like mice, chasing one down over here and pitting one against another over there.

Already, Canadians are facing the most serious tariff war ever. The negative implications are immense, not only for jobs and business but for our sovereignty and yes, for our very existence as a country.

Ironically, Trump’s actions have worked, but perhaps not in the way he imagined. Instead of feeling cowed and cornered, Canadians are angry and bloody-minded. A Pledge for Canada  letter has already garnered 54,000 signatures and is aiming for 100,000.

However, this battle will require more of our individual and political resources than signing a petition. Anger is difficult to sustain and exhausting. We will need resilience, stamina and fierce determination to endure the next few years, and perhaps beyond if MAGA Republicans remain a force.

Fortunately, our leaders already have some solutions … remove interprovincial barriers to trade; increase our defence spending, especially regarding NATO; expand and highlight the production of Canadian goods; and perhaps the most sensitive one, build more pipelines.

These initiatives will require tradeoffs and, in some cases, personal sacrifice. Can defence protection be enhanced without cuts to social benefits? Can new pipelines be built without environmental damage?  Can we combine our much-valued soft power with robust hard power?

Politicians and their parties must pivot quickly to dialogue with Canadians on an agenda which must withstand economic blows while building for the future.

Depending on the results of the next federal election, a newly elected prime minister might even consider assembling a national unity cabinet, one in which partisan politics are momentarily put aside.

It won’t be painless. Canadians will not easily concede the value of bending that arc of moral universe towards justice, equality and humanity even in the face of Trump’s moral recklessness and deliberate chaos.

We valued our reputation as peacekeepers for so long. Now we must discover how to protect that peace – especially in the face of economic war.

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