Hello, USA! Welcome to (drumroll) ... the Axis of Evil!

 At least since World War II, the Axis of Evil has been used to identify a particular type of opposition. They represented the challenge of world powers, primarily democracies (of one stripe or another), standing up to authoritarian fascists who intended to subsume the world under their dictatorships. And, yes, it included a questionable alignment with an authoritarian communist power, Stalin. That alignment would not last long after the conclusion of the war.

Bushy Jr. revived the term during his administration to represent a new axis of evil centered around three countries that were promoting terrorism around the world - Iraq, Iran, and North Korea. All three represented brutal dictatorships of one kind or another - the theocratic madness of Iran, the despotic corruption of Saddam Hussein in Iraq, and the autocratic perversion of communism in North Korea. But all three represented authoritarian governments; whether they described themselves that way, they all had elements of fascism.

In more recent times many have talked about the Axis of Evil being China, Russia, and North Korea. Whatever the players composing it, it all runs to one thing - countries controlled by brutal dictators.

America has certainly not been perfect throughout its history. Often, it has joined in conflicts not just to defend democracy, but to acquire new territory, and sometimes to protect the interests of American corporate power. It's a complex history that would require many posts and much research.

Another significant thread of American military and diplomatic history has been the defense of democracy and the rights of the oppressed. In major conflicts, we have always sided against fascist and authoritarian dictators.

Until now.

We have clearly switched teams. We no longer speak out for the world's democracies. We no longer even pretend to stand up for people who are subject to tyranny.

We are withdrawing our support of Ukraine. We are even pretending that Russia did not invade Ukraine and is not at fault in the conflict. We want Ukraine to end the contest by surrendering everything to Putin. We opposed a resolution at the UN condemning Russia for its actions in Ukraine, alongside Russia and North Korea.

Trump speaks out about his love of dictators almost every day. He also condemns and ridicules democracies every day. He talks about subsuming and controlling his neighbors. These include the Panama Canal, Greenland, and Canada. He wants to turn Gaza into a playland for billionaires. His treatment of Mexico is barbaric.

He does this not to forward democracy but to take over the resources of those countries and to use them to benefit himself and his billionaire buddies. It is a return to 19th-century colonialism, stripped of pretense of any moral basis.

At any given time, it's a real grab bag to see which dystopian novel whose path we are following most closely. The Handmaid's Tale was even money, but now 1984 is pulling into sight. In 1984, the world was divided among three dictatorial superpowers, constantly rewriting their history to keep their citizens in line, centering them on lotteries and entertainments, false cultural issues, and spying on each other.

Trump has decided that the Americas are HIS, to use and abuse however he wants. The tradeoff is to let the other big players have their own spheres of dominance - Russia dominating an increasing portion of Europe, and China taking back Taiwan and dominating Asia.

Questioning some of the US military/diplomatic decisions is one thing. It's another to see the US clearly and consistently aligning with evil, which authoritarian brutality is.

It breaks my heart.

We are no longer the good guys.

We are a primary player in the Axis of Evil.