The Modern Axis and Allies

Peace is the new Axis. In a modern "Axis and Allies" scenario, the United Nations is increasingly positioned as the last, fragile bastion of organized human dignity on the planet and the United States? It's starting to look like it's firmly on the wrong side of the line.

As we watch countries like Israel (which has systematically waged a devastating campaign of genocide against the people of Gaza) align with Donald Trump's newly minted "Board of Peace," it sounds eerily like a dystopian science fiction plotline coming to life. Simultaneously, we are watching the United States build up a massive military armada as it bombs the heck out of Iran.

What we are witnessing is the rapid progression toward a new era of global conflict. It is a paradigm shift where international rule of law is being actively upended in favor of renewed expansionism, colonialism, and wanton State violence.

The Drums of War and the Erosion of Oversight

The current military buildup and attack on Iran has seen no formal confirmation or approval through the legislative bodies of the United States.

Then again, neither have many of the administration's recent actions. Building on a steady, 50-year erosion of United States constitutional protections regarding the use of military power, Donald Trump has proven that he can do almost whatever he wants. A formal declaration of war might not even be required to launch a massive military campaign, putting tens of thousands of U.S. service members' lives on the line.

While it is vital to recognize that countries like Iran are dictatorships (and the violence inherent within them is horrifying and concerning in the extreme) we must also acknowledge that these boiling-point situations have been frequently fomented by world superpowers, including the United States and its allies.

The recent civil unrest in Iran was a clear sign of how desperately the Iranian people want to break free of their own authoritarian cycle.

But how many of those same people will turn their hatred toward the United States, fighting desperately to repel an invasion, the moment American munitions start dropping on their heads? And how will the region react as it becomes clear that Israel's intent is to violently expand its territory across as much of the Middle East as possible?

When we look at the Russian Federation's failed war in Ukraine, we have to wonder: at what point will other nations, alienated by the U.S. worldview, formally ally themselves to support a country we are attacking?

Domestic Decay and the Homeland Police State

This aggressive posturing abroad is mirrored by deeply troubling developments at home.

We already have a growing population of illegally interned individuals abducted off the streets of American cities. We are witnessing the funding of a multi-million-dollar domestic enforcement apparatus in the form of ICE, acting with alarming impunity and quite literally murdering American citizens as it sees fit.

All of this is occurring while our national infrastructure and the very systems of our social order are increasingly underfunded, dismantled, or handed over to privatized, self-interested corporate entities.

The rhetoric will undoubtedly continue to claim that the United States is moving to "secure" sections of the world "for their own good" (to fight crime, cartels, and terrorists). Yet it ignores the reality that every time the U.S. attempts to police another part of the world, the military effort required devastates social structures at home and leaves tens of thousands of innocent men, women, and children dead abroad.

The best-case scenario is one that few Americans would actually want to live under: foreign regions treated as authoritarian concentration camps and police states, where U.S.-controlled forces are the only law, and the rule of violence is the primary foundation of the social order.

The "Board of Peace" or a Lifetime Appointment?

Let’s take a step back from the specific military movements and look at the bureaucratic reality of what it means that Donald Trump has named himself as "Chairman for Life" of this new Board of Peace.

Usually, when a national leader names themselves to a position of permanent power in any organization, it is a massive red flag. Trump hasn't quite managed to overcome the U.S. legal system to the point of securing extended presidential terms, but given his ego and trajectory, it is highly likely we will see moves in that direction—either for himself or a hand-picked successor.

When you look at the makeup of the Board of Peace, it is a roster straight out of a cyberpunk dystopia. Trump has handpicked everyone from his son-in-law to his Secretary of State, to his own campaign donors, and even neoliberal figures like Tony Blair. (It is worth noting the disturbing reality that many of these figures share historical social ties to Jeffrey Epstein's international criminal network).

The charter for the Board of Peace claims it seeks to "promote stability, restore dependable and lawful governance, and secure enduring peace in areas affected or threatened by conflict."

Crucially, this mandate is supposed to apply anywhere in the world.

Trump will serve as the chairman and the U.S. representative for this international body forever. He retains the power to decide who sits on this board even after he leaves the White House. He has created an organization comprised of deeply compromised political figures, and he will attempt to use its authority in whatever way he sees fit.

We are not just looking at an effort of massive political graft. We are looking at a scenario where the agreed-upon, organized effort of international relations (the United Nations) is being actively supplanted by an acknowledged, militaristic, worldwide attack force led by the United States.

This is an existential threat to the global order unlike anything we have seen before.

I’m Odin Halvorson, a librarian, life coach, and fiction author. If you like my work and want to support what we do here at Unenlightened Generalists, please consider becoming a paid subscriber to our newsletter for as little as $2.50 a month!

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