The Monroe Doctrine occupies an unusual place in American political discourse. It is often invoked as though it announced a permanent rule of hemispheric governance, capable of being revived or enforced by later administrations. In contemporary usage, it is frequently treated as a declaration of American authority over the Western hemisphere or as a justification for intervention against foreign powers and regional governments. This understanding does not reflect the document as written, the circumstances that produced it, or the limits its authors assumed.

“If Donald Trump goes forward, the status of the US will go from adversary or rival to the one of enemy,” [French Prime Minister] Villepin stated. “It’ll be a huge historical change.”

Britain’s relative decline is no longer a speculative talking point but a measurable trajectory. If current income, productivity, and cost-of-living trends continue, Lithuania is on course to overtake the United Kingdom in average living standards by 2030, with Poland following by roughly 2034.

The Constitution already grants far too much power to the central government. But Trump can’t even be bothered with his oath to uphold the Constitution’s few limits on war-making powers.  

Imagine yourself sailing on a boat through a serene and breathtaking sea. The waters shine around you, inviting and attractive, but they hide grave dangers ahead. This is “listening to the mermaid’s song”—being deceived by something that, while it sounds charming, leads to ruin. The expression comes from Greek mythology, where mermaids lured sailors with their mesmerizing song, leading them to destruction. Figuratively, “listening to the mermaid’s song” means being deluded by something that seems irresistible but leads to destruction.

As he placed his hand on the Koran, Zohran Mamdani was sworn in as the new mayor of New York City on a cold New Year’s Day, promising that “I was elected as a Democratic socialist and I will govern as a Democratic socialist. I will not abandon my principles for fear of being deemed radical.”

Indeed, his inaugural speech was full of the radical proposals that marked his campaign, as he promised. His administration, he declared, would make life better for New Yorkers:

President Trump has again begun threatening Denmark with a potential US annexation of Greenland, an overseas possession of the Danish state. The administration has refused to rule out military action, and in the wake of the US bombing of Venezuela, it is clear that anything is possible. 

Yet, there is one important factor at work in the Greenland case that was not relevant to the bombing of Venezuela: Denmark is a NATO member.