Image by Bret Kavanaugh.

The Limits of Friendship

Donald Trump is proving time and again to foreign leaders that counting on friendly relations is senseless. Most recently, India, Canada, Ukraine, and Brazil discovered that, contrary to expectations, Trump is not influenced by historical ties or long-term common interests. He will treat them like adversaries if there is immediate advantage to doing so. Now Mexico joins the list.

Trump has long had the idea of pursuing drug dealers into Mexico. The New York Times reports that he has signed a secret directive to the Pentagon that could lead to the dispatch of US air and ground forces into Mexico, or other countries, on the pretext of fighting terrorism, a designation the State Department began using once Trump took office. To say the least, Trump’s order raises numerous legal, practical, and foreign policy questions, such as armed intervention in another country, the lack of Congressional authorization or even consultation, the killing of civilians abroad, and the use of the armed forces instead of law enforcement agencies to fight drug trafficking.

Most relevant is the opposition of the target country, Mexico in this case. Its president, Claudia Sheinbaum, is adamant on the subject. “The United States is not going to come to Mexico with the military. We cooperate, we collaborate, but there is........

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