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Would U.S. Generals Obey Illegal Trump Orders?

Would U.S. Generals Obey Illegal Trump Orders?

The David Frum Show vor 1 Jahr

Tom Nichols on Trump, the military, and what happens when loyalty replaces law. Plus: The Trump administration’s “politicized stupidity” and a discussion of Eugène Ionesco’s play “Rhinoceros.”

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On this episode of The David Frum Show, The Atlantic’s David Frum
opens with reflections on the new Trump administration’s pattern of
“politicized stupidity”: the willful refusal to understand abuses
of power, including the destruction of the White House’s East Wing
and the perceived sale of government influence disguised as private
donations. Then Frum speaks with his Atlantic colleague Tom
Nichols, an expert on civil-military relations and a longtime
scholar of U.S. defense policy, about President Donald Trump’s
efforts to turn the military into a personal instrument of
power. Nichols explains how the capture of the Justice Department,
the firing of Pentagon lawyers, and the use of the National Guard
against civilians are eroding the rule of law, and how a president
can launch wars without congressional consent. Finally, Frum closes
with a reflection on Eugène Ionesco’s play Rhinoceros, a parable
about conformity and courage, and what it means to remain human in
a world where everyone else is turning into beasts. Get more
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