Pope Leo XIV reminded the world recently that “the rule of law is the foundation of all peaceful coexistence.” He was speaking on January 9, in the wake of the United States’ takeover of Venezuela and President Donald Trump’s threats against Greenland, Cuba, Colombia, Mexico, Panama, Iran, Syria, and Canada. As the pope warned: “War is back in vogue.”

But as far as the rule of law is concerned, the pope may well have been speaking about US domestic politics, which, like the international system, is now sliding into a lawless state of nature where might makes right, and life, to quote Thomas Hobbes, “is nasty, brutish, and short.”

Canadians are looking on aghast at the events unfolding in Minneapolis, Minnesota—a northern city of bridges and rivers that loves hockey, values higher education, upholds diversity, and as home to the Mayo Clinic, is globally recognized for its excellence in health care research. It’s a place not unlike Edmonton or Winnipeg, which isn’t much more than a five-hour drive away.

But unlike Edmonton or Winnipeg, Minneapolis is under siege, its people targeted because they are Democrats. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs Border Protection (CBP) have become the president’s private militia, which he is using to send a message to a blue state that has refused to vote for him. Under the guise of what the Trump administration is calling “law enforcement,” a radical movement toward totalitarianism in America is playing out before our eyes.

The descent of Trump’s troops upon the city—Operation Metro Surge, as the White House calls it—began on December 1, 2025. As of Saturday, after fifty-five days of occupation and the execution of another civilian at the hands of ICE, on January 24, in that city, tensions have boiled over. There are over 3,000 ICE and CBP masked and heavily armed agents terrorizing the citizens of Minneapolis. They are led by the ghoulish Greg Bovino, who relishes being the visual representation of a totalitarian federal occupation of Minneapolis. His press conference following his........

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