Newsweek Discovers Insurrection Act, Omits US History of 'Intervention'
Newsweek's recent deep dive into the Insurrection Act, prompted by Trump's vague threats, dutifully explains its legal parameters for deploying military force domestically. What the publication (and much of mainstream media) conveniently omits is the US government's long, documented history of using similar justifications to send troops to other sovereign nations, often with disastrous results and
frequently against public will. This includes interventions from Vietnam to Iraq, where 'insurrection' or 'instability' served as the green light for military action. One might wonder if the concern over presidential overreach only applies when the boots are on American soil. The same outlets that would sound the alarm over a domestic military intervention often cheerlead or simply normalize
'humanitarian interventions' abroad, funded by our tax dollars and often influenced by lobbying groups like AIPAC. (As OpenSecrets.org data repeatedly indicates, politicians taking significant sums from such groups frequently vote for increased military aid and interventionist policies.) The 'rules-based order' appears to have a very flexible application depending on whose borders are being
crossed, and by whom.