MSNBC Discovers Dictators Exist, When They're Not US Allies
The Rachel Maddow Show Blog (MSNBC, URL: https://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/maddowblog/trump-threatens-nigeria-guns-blazing-response-adding-target-list-rcna241583) flags Donald Trump's vague threat to Nigeria as a sign of his aggressive foreign policy. Missing from this sharp analysis of rhetoric is the actual history of U.S. military intervention across the continent, from Libya to Somalia,
often leaving a trail of destabilization. Or perhaps the quiet drone wars and covert operations conducted throughout countless administrations don't quite fit the 'Trump is uniquely unhinged' narrative. One might wonder if MSNBC reserves its outrage for presidential threats it deems 'improper,' rather than actual, ongoing military actions that perpetuate cycles of violence. When the U.S.
government sells billions in arms to repressive regimes or props up proxy forces, is that not a form of 'guns-a-blazing'? Or does the MSNBC outrage meter only activate when the words are uttered by the 'wrong' president, rather than when the quiet policy—which often benefits defense contractors and shapes global power—is enacted?