The New Imperial Executive
As I look at the wreckage of the traditional American governance model in 2026, it is clear that we are no longer living in a republic of laws, but in a regime of executive fiat. The past year has been a masterclass in the systematic dismantling of institutional guardrails. What was once a system defined by the friction of "checks and balances" has been streamlined into a high-speed engine of personal power, driven by a president who views the Constitution not as a roadmap, but as a set of suggestions to be bypassed when they become inconvenient.
This isn't just about rhetoric; it’s about a technical shift in how the state functions. From the weaponization of the Department of Justice to the unilateral imposition of global tariffs, the "New Imperial Executive" has arrived.
Based on a New York Times/Siena poll of 1,625 registered voters nationwide conducted Jan. 12 to 17.The gray segment is for voters who did not respond or said they didn’t know. Martín González Gómez/The New York Times
The image above is from the follow article in NY Times a couple of days back...notice the part I highlighted. To me that is the most critical bit of information. I can write a whole post just on that.
Source: NY Times is subscription based, so you may not be able to read the article
The headline that triggered me today is this news at CNN
I am not going get into the details of this particular news, as it is not healthy for my mental health and blood pressure. Yet, it let me think about what is happening to our foreign policy (do we even have one?)!
Institutional Weakness and the Executive Surge
The fundamental vulnerability of the U.S. government is no longer a theoretical debate—it is a demonstrated reality. We are witnessing a president who has exposed the "notional" nature of our checks and balances. The primary constraint on executive power used to be the independence of agencies and the loyalty of Congress to its own branch. Today, that loyalty has shifted entirely to the head of the party.
The Erosion of DOJ Independence
One of the most chilling developments has been the overt pressure on the Attorney General to prosecute specific individuals. By demanding legal action based on perceived disloyalty rather than actual statutory violations, the administration is effectively erasing the line between law and politics. When the law becomes a tool for personal retribution, the "rule of law" becomes the "rule by law."
A Pro-Executive Judiciary
The Supreme Court has increasingly moved toward a "pro-executive" stance. Through the use of the emergency docket (the so-called "shadow docket"), the Court has frequently stayed lower-court rulings that sought to limit executive overreach.
This judicial environment has emboldened the administration to ignore statutory procedures. For instance, the firing of several Inspectors General—without the legally mandated six-month notice or specific charges—was a direct signal that the executive branch considers itself above the administrative laws passed by Congress. Even the high-profile TikTok ban, a piece of bipartisan legislation, was effectively bypassed by executive order, proving that even "settled" law is subject to the President’s personal discretion.
The Tariff Case: Economic Illiberalism
The most blatant example of this institutional decay is the current tariff policy. Under Article I of the Constitution, the power to regulate foreign commerce and set tariffs belongs explicitly to Congress. However, the administration has successfully seized this power by claiming "national security" under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA).
| Authority | Constitutional Mandate | Current Executive Practice |
|---|---|---|
| Tariff Setting | Vested in Congress (Article I) | Unilateral IEEPA Declarations |
| Foreign Commerce | Congressional Oversight | Executive Order & Negotiation |
| National Security | Shared Responsibility | Absolute Presidential Discretion |
By declaring the trade deficit a "national emergency," the President has bypassed the legislative process entirely. This is more than a trade war; it is an intimidation tactic used against both domestic courts and foreign nations. It reflects an "illiberal democracy" approach where the leader’s will supercedes the procedural requirements of the state.
Strategic Philosophy: Coercion Over Alliance
In the realm of foreign policy, we have moved away from the post-WWII era of "democratic alliances" toward a philosophy of "coerced compliance." The administration operates on a zero-sum mentality: if we aren't "winning" a deal at someone else's expense, we are losing.
The Greenland Precedent
The obsession with Greenland is the perfect case study. Rather than viewing Denmark and the people of Greenland as partners in Arctic security, the administration has treated the territory as a resource to be extracted and a real estate deal to be closed. The threat of tariffs against NATO allies who refuse to facilitate the purchase of Greenland signals a return to a "might makes right" world.
Squeezing the 50
The U.S. has roughly 50 treaty allies; China has one (North Korea). Okay, I can add Russia, and Iran to the list, but this it is three. This used to be our greatest strategic advantage. However, the current "transactional view" treats these allies as clients rather than partners. By squeezing Japan, Australia, and the EU for better "terms of service," the administration is liquidating 80 years of American goodwill for short-term financial gains. We are trading long-term stability for immediate compliance. And for what? Personal gain? So that we have the Trump name on every piece of IKEA furniture we buy?
The Heritage Project: Institutionalizing Norm Violation
This transformation is not accidental; it is the realization of the Heritage 2025 project. This blueprint serves as a systematic manual for violating long-standing norms. The ideological core of this project is the belief that laws incorrectly constrain executive power and that the President should have direct control over every "independent" agency—from the Federal Reserve to the SEC.
- Centralized Contracting: We are seeing an unprecedented idealization of state power where the President personally doles out contracts and benefits based on personal relationships.
- Dismantling Civil Service: By attempting to reclassify tens of thousands of civil servants as political appointees, the administration is replacing expertise with absolute loyalty.
The Colonial Mindset in the Americas
The administration’s approach to South and Central America has taken on a distinctly colonial flavor. The focus is no longer on regional stability or democratic growth, but on total dominance and resource control.
The Venezuela Extraction
The capture of Nicolás Maduro in "Operation Absolute Resolve" is a prime example of theatrical foreign policy. While the arrest was the "most expensive in history," it has left the underlying repressive structures—the drug cartels, the armed loyalists, and the remnants of the Chavez regime—largely intact. The goal wasn't a stable transition to democracy; it was a display of domination.
This interventionism is sowing the seeds of the "1953 Iran cycle." By intervening in the internal affairs of South American nations to secure mineral rights and political compliance, we are creating a vacuum of instability that will inevitably lead to the rise of new extreme movements, both on the left and the right.
Global Order: A Multi-Polar, Volatile Future
The cumulative effect of these policies is a transformation of the global order. By leaving our allies disunited and leaderless, the U.S. is inadvertently creating a multi-polar world that is prone to war and nuclear proliferation.
Ironically, in our attempt to "compete" with China, we are becoming more like them. The administration’s admiration for state-run capitalism and centralized population control is unmistakable. We are consciously emulating old-fashioned imperialists, undercutting the very American values that once made our leadership sustainable.
We are entering an era where the United States is no longer the "shining city on a hill," but just another great power looking to protect its perimeter through coercion and theatrical displays of force.
Alright: I am glad I put this out here and out of my head. I can only take so much stupid! The trouble it this is now hurting the world both financially and physically and we can't ignore it and put it under the carpet. We must resist.
