When Trump proclaimed US withdrawal from the Iran agreement, he was signaling the birth of a new Axis.
Netanyahu was quick to hail the partnership, which he had lobbied for vigorously, with a flurry of bombs on Syria. So it's the United States of Trump and Bolton, and the extremist right-wing hawks now in charge in Israel, together with royalist Saudi Arabia. They are heading for war on Iran, going beyond the existing wars in Afghanistan, Yemen and Syria, They are choosing the path of bullying, aggression, greed and recklessness that brought about two world wars.
For the time being, Trump’s bombastic threats against North Korea of nuclear devastation “like the world has never seen” have subsided as joint initiatives by South and North Korea have created a more hopeful climate for resolving chronic antagonisms.
Of course the USA wields enormous global power although winning or even ending wars has long ceased to be a hallmark of that power. Trump can’t change declining US dominance by loudly heralding “America First”, but he can create great and lasting havoc. He will exploit jingoism and war to further authoritarian rule even though a majority of Americans hold him in contempt.
It’s awful to see America as the spearhead of a new Axis. But wars are an inevitable byproduct of the fascistic path to which the Administration is committed. The question has become: Will the Trump-GOP cabal be ousted before it’s too late?
