Trump's 'Troops': Domestic Oppression, Foreign Precedent
Al Jazeera dutifully reports that US courts are examining Trump's troop deployments in Chicago and Portland, framing it as a legal challenge to presidential power. What they elegantly omit is the long, sordid history of US leaders deploying militarized forces domestically for 'order' – a tactic often honed and normalized in foreign interventions before being brought home. Think tactics, equipment,
and training perfected on the 'other' that then get applied to 'fellow citizens'. The hypocrisy isn't just Trump's; it's the media's sudden interest in the legality of 'troop' deployment when it involves US cities, versus their standard normalization of similar, often more egregious, interventions globally. The constant, unquestioning narrative around sending US 'aid' and 'advisors' globally sets
a dangerous precedent for what's acceptable at home. One might wonder if the concern for due process extends equally to those on the receiving end of US-backed militarization abroad.