Here we go again. Trump threatens to be the world’s policeman.
US Could Go in ‘Guns-a-Blazing’
The Wall Street Journal reports Trump Threatens Military Action in Nigeria in Defense of Christians
President Trump has threatened potential U.S. military action in Africa’s most populous nation, citing the perceived targeting of the country’s Christian population by Islamist terrorists.
Trump said in a post on Truth Social Saturday that he had instructed the Defense Department to prepare for possible action in Nigeria, where he said the U.S. could go in “guns-a-blazing” with the goal of wiping out Islamist militants in the country. Trump also threatened to halt all aid and assistance to the country if it “continues to allow the killing of Christians.”
Nigeria has a population of some 237 million people, split roughly between Muslims, who predominate in the north of the country, and Christians. Violence against Christians has escalated in northern Nigeria in the past decade, as violent Islamic extremists such as Boko Haram wage an insurgency against the country’s secular government and expand their influence in the region.
“Christianity is facing an existential threat in Nigeria,” Trump posted, adding that he considered Nigeria a “country of particular concern,” a designation the country first received in 2020 under the first Trump administration for what the State Department said were “systematic violations of religious freedom.”
A 2021 report from a Nigerian nonprofit estimated that Boko Haram and other groups were responsible for the deaths of 43,000 Christians between 2009 and 2021, with 17,500 attacks on churches recorded. The International Society for Civil Liberties and Rule of Law also estimated that 29,000 Muslims were also killed during the same period.
Boko Haram, whose name roughly translates as “Western education is sinful,” declared war on the Nigerian state in 2009 and soon after began targeting schools, kidnapping thousands of schoolchildren to terrorize communities and to force boys and girls into its sprawling camps.
Last month, Sen. Ted Cruz (R., Texas) joined a chorus of voices within the U.S. Christian political right, calling for the U.S. to take action against the mass killings of Christians in Nigeria, including by reinstating Nigeria’s designation as a “country of particular concern,” which Trump did on Friday.
On Saturday, Nigerian President Bola Ahmed Tinubu pushed back in a post on X, saying that characterizing Nigeria “as religiously intolerant does not reflect our national reality.”
“Religious freedom and tolerance have been a core tenet of our collective identity and shall always remain so,” he said. “Nigeria opposes religious persecution and does not encourage it.”
Last year, some 1,000 U.S. troops withdrew from neighboring Niger, ending a nearly decadelong partnership that was the keystone of U.S. counterterrorism operations in the region. Djibouti, a tiny East African nation, hosts the only permanent U.S. base on the continent.
The U.S. provided some $550 million in foreign aid to Nigeria this year, compared with about $880 million the previous year, according to U.S. government data.
“Economically, Nigeria depends substantially on U.S. aid and military cooperation to combat insecurity, critical for maintaining investor confidence,” said Samuel Aladegbaye, an analyst at Zedcrest Group, a financial-services company based in Lagos, Nigeria. “Any suspension or disruption of U.S. assistance, as threatened, could weaken Nigeria’s security framework, potentially exacerbating insecurity.”
Three Theories on What’s Going On
- Unemployment in the US is rising and so are complaints of inflation. So, Trump is focusing his energy globally.
- Trump has no idea what he is doing other than project power. He would rather be king than president.
- It’s political. Trump is cow-towing to the religious right.
It could be a combination of all of those or something else. But those who thought Trump would stop US global meddling were wrong.
Questions Abound
- Do we really want to enter a war in Nigeria?
- How much will it cost?
- How long would we be there?
- Do we have a defined mission?
- Does Nigeria want us there?
The answer to the fifth question is no. That alone is reason not to get involved.
Here We Go Again
The first line of this song and the title say what you need to know.
Afghanistan Too?
The answer is yes. Please note Trump suggests US troops could return to base in Afghanistan, citing its proximity to rival China
“We’re trying to get it [Bagram Air Base] back,” Trump said of the base in an aside to a question about ending Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Trump hinted that the Taliban, who have struggled with an economic crisis, international legitimacy, internal rifts and rival militant groups since their return to power in 2021, could be game to allow the U.S. military to return.
“We’re trying to get it back because they need things from us,” Trump said of the Taliban.
What a hoot. We are trying to get it back because the Taliban needs things from us.
That’s OK, they must be “moderate” Taliban.
Bonus Questions
- Do you want Trump to be the world’s policeman?
- If so, how much are you willing to pay for it?
Related Posts
October 31, 2025: Trump Will Order the Navy to Use Steam for Aircraft Carrier Catapults
What does Trump know about steam technology that the US Navy and China don’t?
October 30, 2025: Is US Resumption of Testing Nuclear Weapons a Good Idea?
My answer is no. Trump’s answer is yes.
October 30, 2025: Trump Declares a 12 Out of 10 Meeting with China’s Xi. Total Nonsense
Trump’s amazing 12 out of 10 gets things back to where they were in March.
Addendum
Several readers noted the Muslim Brotherhood slaughtered Christians in Syria.
The difference between Syria and Nigeria is the latter has oil. Otherwise, would Trump really give a damn?
All we ask is peace and not more, in God
I was thinking it was about gaining favor from the maga Christians. I forgot Nigeria had that much oil. That’s the only thing that seems to relative price stability in our economy. He can’t lose that too else the Lilliputians will look behind the curtain!
Of course it is a “good” idea.
Nigeria has a lot of oil.
/sarc
The US has never been the “world policeman” – more like an extortion racketeer. If you don’t know the difference between the two, you shouldn’t be answering the question.
This guy should at least try to learn that the terrorist aren t supported by the state🙄.
The level is at the same as accusing Israel of knive from palestnians attacks against jews.
Marx was right….’religion is the opium of the people’. It was designed to get people to accept a miserable lousy life on earth while the powerful and rich steal all the money and resources. There are other interpretations eg by Jung, but Jung was categorically wrong in his assessment./
It seems like the 100M or so people that Marxism killed in the 20th century got a pretty lousy deal too,
Why not invite all the Christian Nigerians to apply for asylum in the US? They need it after all, it’s not as though they are economic migrants.
All through readingI was thinking “Its the oil”. Sure enough, in the addendum it was right there. Bingo!
The list of countries trump has attacked, endorsed war on, or threatened:
Canada
Greenland
Iran
Venezuela
Gaza
Yemen
Nigeria
Economically he has threatened the entire world…
Others I missed?
You know, I guess I misunderstood what this s.o.b. was talking about when in a few election campaigns he spoke against foreign adventuring. If Nigeria’s assorted slaughters. or Sudan’s, or Syria’s, are worth American taxpayers’ wealth and lives, the concept of “America First” was meaningless every time it passed this whack job’s lips. And so much for the consent to govern gained in open elections.
going nuclear tonite, now and forever…
Trump: “TERMINATE THE FILIBUSTER, NOT JUST FOR THE SHUTDOWN, BUT FOR EVERYTHING ELSE. WE WILL GET ALL OF OUR COMMON SENSE POLICIES APPROVED (VOTER ID, ANYONE?) AND MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN! REMEMBER, THE DEMOCRATS WILL DO IT IMMEDIATELY, AS SOON AS THEY GET THE CHANCE. OUR DOING IT WILL NOT GIVE THEM THE CHANCE”
I don’t know about the filibuster……is it in the Constitution as a privilege for lawmakers?
Yes, Trump sees Nigeria as a huge natural resource and wants to makes sure the West controls it.
Slightly reworded, Mish’s bonus question is the important question:
Do you want the USA to be the world’s policeman?
Should there even be a “world’s policeman”? I think yes, if the world’s policing were built on the model the Anglo world has built: Independent, unbiased enforcement of clear rules, generally agreed upon by those who live under those rules. But, such a system must include the equivalent of courts and jails. And must be robust enough to operate with considerable imperfections.
What’s an alternative?
Anyway, using the USA’s government as policeman is not long-term viable. Too many inherent cross-purposes.
“the model the Anglo world has built: Independent, unbiased enforcement of clear rules, generally agreed upon by those who live under those rules.”
I thought the model was invade, take over, divide and rule, plunder the resources and say you’re spreading freedom and democracy.
Sentient, where do laws, police, judges, juries, and jails fit in to that hodge-podge model you’re thinking about?
Now, taking your model by four unique parts:
invade / take over – presumably you mean steal. Inside most human groups, stealing is precisely where the question of who is the policeman comes in to play. Inside the group. Most groups allow stealing from outside the group. The new, policeman-less group is all of humanity.
divide / rule / plunder – These are rights of ownership. So, the current, unanswered question is, “What is ownership?” We live in a world that has found a concept of private property to be the best known way to answer that question, but that answer is certainly not instinctive.
say… – in the Anglo group you can say what you want. But, that’s a fairly rare right and certainly not instinctive.
“….Anglo world has built: Independent, unbiased enforcement of clear rules, generally agreed upon by those who live under those rules.”
BS rules brains. Open your eyes fool.
Trump loves power.
Trump loves gun.
Trump loves money.
Trump loves Epstein.
Trump loves you too.
If Peace is a little girl that sounds a bit creepy…
I’m telling the truth.
Some enjoy their leader’s lies.
That’s why Epstein file is not coming out.
I’m sorry, you can’t stand the truth.
President Heel Spurs was and is a coward.
Yes I am a Vietnam vet.
Currently, “… The U.S. provided some $550 million in foreign aid to Nigeria this year, compared with about $880 million the previous year, according to U.S. government data….”
At what point, do you say, ‘What the f*(k?’
Not saying we should be providing any “aid”, but – for context – that’s about $2.50 per person this year. Probably all for bribes to make sure we get more than our share of the oil and that they generally do things our way.
Trump is wasting money on these misadventures. MAGA doesn’t care about religion. It is about jobs and the economy stupid.
MAGA cares only about what Trump wants–that’s what a cult does–whatever their leader says, that’s adopted wholeheartedly, until the leaders next big idea
Only if they are doing better. They arent.
They certainly haven’t caught on yet
The distractions have to be increasing brighter and bigger
Throughout the centuries, Christians have slaughtered about 170 million people on behalf of the religion.
Islam is way ahead at 270 million people.
God loves you. Keep up the good work.
I agree with the general idea.
But who did the counting?
And on whose behalf? It’s always about money/power for those who have it, with religion as an explanation for those who don’t. So, maybe I don’t agree with the general idea of blaming religion. At least not primarily. IOW It’s certainly an accomplice but not the prime mover.
Atheists are better at it. Christian’s took 2000 years to get to that number. The “religion of peace” upped them and only took 1400 years. But atheists managed to beat their scores and only took barely a century.
As for Nigeria Trump should send a small force to train up local Christians and international volunteers (Crusaders if you will) to hunt down and kill Boko Haram with US supplied arms
Thumbs up for the first part only.
What happened to all the Trumpers that said Trump was the peace president and would end all wars on day one?
Let’s see, Trump is supporting war in…
Russia/Ukraine
Iran
Palastine (Gaza)
Qatar
Syria
Yemen
Venezuela
Colombia
Nigeria
Afghanistan
Mexico?
Not sure to include Canada and Greenland but that’s another possibility and I’ve probably missed a few.
Plenty of money floating around to support foreign countries but Americans get squat.
Is this what MAGA is all about? Midterms coming right up.
Got voting strategy?
Panama.
He’s not the populist some had hoped for. Maybe some future President can do that role. Don’t know when or how early the agenda got changed. But to me, after Anchorage is when it became obvious.
If Trump did nothing regarding the conflicts you list, what would you do? Still whine?
My view, the US should declare absolute neutrality, specialize in arms manufacture, and sell to both sides. Tell the rest of the world any attack on the US will lead to total destruction of the country responsible. If terrorists, the same rule applies.
” If Trump did nothing regarding the conflicts you list, what would you do? Still whine? ”
…
Actually, I gave my view as a means to invite discussion. You might not agree, but it is NOT whining.
“If Trump did nothing…”
That was the premise of his whole candidacy. Did you forget that already?
MAGA was supposed to be America first yet here we are taking care of the whole world first after Trump’s ballroom and bathrooms. By my count Americans are ranking third or fourth on the list.
I thought that MAGA was all about protecting and transforming CLOWNs into a class of distinguish gentlemen. 😂
The US has 2,000 combat troops in Syria. Nice try with the other 10. Fortunately, the direct US aid to Ukraine is dropping like a rock under Trump, so you’d could make the argument that he’s got the US on a much smaller “support” footprint than your boy, Biden.
Lol. You were sold a bill of goods by your messiah and now your psyche can’t reconcile the cognitive dissonance so you deflect to your Biden pacifier like a baby. Biden is history as is Obama, try to get them out of living in your head rent-free.
Midterms coming right up….
Where were you, when Obama started all this mess…
Crickets…
Actually in Gaza it’s not just war it’s genocide.
And rebranded NED “NGO” political interference in Nepal, Bangladesh, Pakistan/Afghanistan, Romania, Hungary, Georgia, Azerbaijistan, Armenia, Kazakhstan etc., Serbia, and more.
Where is Trump’s sympathy for the Christians in Gaza and the West Bank?
Onward Christian soldiers, marching as to war… the 10th Crusade! Trump, the royal master, leads against the foe.
I guess if it’s our allies killing Christians it’s ok…does Nigeria have oil?
Good Question.
Yes, Nigeria has oil. It’s Africa’s largest producer.
We could utilize their Heavy Oil, as it easily meets our requirements in API. That may help them and us too?
Its running out.
My thoughts exactly. Was wondering why it is ok in other countries, and what natural resource does Nigeria have that the US wants?
Judging by the recent lauding of the new ruler of Syria, I thought we liked Muslim fanatics who kill Christians.
Still waiting on Trump renaming Idaho to Idahostan in honor of the new Qatari rulers there.
The child rapist is concerned about Christians?
You can’t make this shit up.
You just did.
Could you please cite the source of your statement? Otherwise it is bull$hit.
I briefly heard Alex Jones say Trump is named in the Epstein file but was an “informant”.
If I ever gain the money or power to attract interest from a sex and blackmail ring, I’ll be sure to tell them I expect a discount because I’m an informant and that they should clearly mark their files “informant” so the FBI notices it when they shut it down 20 years later.
You believe Alex Jones is a reliable source of information?
IDK. My answer was becoming too long and complicated. I can’t vouch for him (because I rarely read his stuff even 20 years ago) but encourage you to read people’s writing for yourself.
Or maybe you have a very negative opinion of him and just want to know whether to decide I’m a nutjob. You can probably decide that based on my own writing more reliably than by trying to “identify by proxy”. … Or I’ll just tell you: yes! 😉
Turns out the missing books from King James Bible still existing in the catholics bible aren t just details🙄.
The demented and malignant narcissist is in full fascist mode to align with the US Christian nationalists by proxy to save the Christians in Nigeria. Trump only cares about saving his own skin and grifting to make money through the most scandalous administration since the Biden Administration of pay to play.
This is also more of a pay attention to the shiny object while the Liar-In-Chief continues his lost the trade war to China, obfuscate so the media doesn’t return to the achilles heal of the carrot makeup president’s prior behavior of young women and possibly girls, a spread widening debt market and lack of credible collateral in the SOFR market, a recession in the goods market, a waning services market, the worst advanced healthcare system for an advanced country, continuing inflation, a split MAGA base, oligarchs split on best how to control their techno-serfs through admitting Houston we have a problem or double down on debt peonage, increasing the wealth and income gap, losing the Ukrainian – Russian war, hedging by US’s allies in Asia, the Middle East vs the BRICS alliances and ad infinitum wherever the Trump engages domestically and abroad.
Question to the MAGA cult that still support this orange tinged, walking stroke or cardiac event, demented president: Are you tired of winning yet?
I’m tired of whining though.
Whining defined: Whining is a high-pitched sound often made by animals, like dogs, or a way of complaining in a childish or annoying manner. It can express distress, dissatisfaction, or a desire for attention.
You’re whining about people whining about something significant.
And you know what that means? It means you’re not worth reading.
What is ‘significant’ is actually a matter of opinion. You might notice that I often provide data/evidence to support what I write, and when it is my opinion, I’ll usually qualify it as such.
For example, above, I cited: a statement to the effect that Islam is way ahead in the death business; 270 million compared to Christianity’s 170 million.
You asked, ‘But who did the counting?’
Instead of me citing the sources, I’ll give one, which is possibly biased:
https://www.christiancentury.org/article/2010-04/body-counts
Now, why don’t you find more for yourself, and we can compare numbers and bias?
From your linked article: ” Call me an egghead, but what I remember most from the Oman experience is a booklet with an ominous title: Body Count (2009). Its subtitle tells a fuller story: A Quantitative Review of Political Violence Across World Civili zations. For Christians, the surprise comes when author Naveed Sheikh concludes that “the Christian civilization emerges as the most violent and genocidal in the world history.” Compared to Islam, Christianity is a clear winner: 31.94 million deaths (by Muslims) to 177.94 million deaths (by Christians). ”
Are those correct?
How would we know, without an exhaustive search? And then debate about how to attribute every mass casualty?
And should we blame the “religion” of the people or the “worship of money/power” of the rulers who never abide by religious creeds anyway?
Then don’t read the rant. Also, in the future you can hide my comments.
I really don’t care what you think or do since those of your ilk tend to be vacuous and your opinions are irrelevant to what was discussed.
Your “contribution” was an inane whining remark that contributed, contradicted, refuted, referenced, linked, absolutely nothing of import.
In short, it is as if you said nothing at all. It is very similar to what the ass clown in the WH spews daily, a projection of his insecurity.
+100
So many things going wrong in the parts of the world we can see, and so many different hands making a mess of it.
Use the destruction of ISIS as a model to do the same thing to Boko Haram. If you don’t know then look it up.
There’s a difference between defeating a name versus defeating an idea
The ideas of ISIS still live and Boko Haram is a branch of that idea
Face it, there are many in the world who hate modernity
Crime is an idea too and you are never going to eliminate crime yet that is not a good enough reason to defund the police.
Are you younger than 30?
ISIS wasn’t destroyed. One of their leaders is now running Syria.
Guess who he was working for.
And visiting the white house, yes?
There was a $10M bounty on that guy.
A Secret Service guy shoulda called it in. 😉
All you people downvoting the comments questioning Our Great Leader’s wisdom: is this what you voted for? More US involvement in stupid global conflicts that never end? Is that America First? Trump won’t be happy until he has his very own Vietnam.
He’ll be the first to bring nukes into any of “his” wars
he’s itchin to do so
’cause the drive for the ‘bigliest” demands it
The ratios are depressing but consistent with “you can’t fix stupid”. 😉
Does Nigeria have an oil industry?
I.e. – is Trump reflexively going after third world countries with oil?
Tenth largest oil reserves on the planet.
Venezuela is Number 1. Just a coincidence.
NO!
Empires never do anything to ‘save’ people. They use that story to cover for their regime change antics to get access/control of resources.
“Allahu Akbar” Mamdani. Obama will be your consiglieri. Al Zahhar: Sykes Picot was a western plot to fracture ummah. The global Islamic order is to dismantle the system
of national states and replace it with a borderless caliphate governed by Sharia.
Al Banna’s Muslim, Bros creed: no recognition of national borders, the supremacy
of Islam over all systems, infiltration through schools and colleges, charities, institutions, Political Manipulation to capture governance, and when conditions permit ==> armed Jihad, Islamization through war. God bless Bernie and AOC !
got an exit strategy ?
Sounds exactly like right-wing Christianity.
Islam is way ahead in the death business; 270 million compared to Christianity’s 170 million/
Love me some useful idiots. Those compasionate, hopeful souls who wonder if Sharia law just has a bad reputaion. How bad could it be. Certainly, its just Christians, those greedy God floggers that are truely the infidels? I would like to try to give zero military or financial support to any and all Muslim countries.
Export more illegals use the money to protect the Christians being persecuted.
Exporting illegals is an interesting concept. What countries would buy them?
We could export several million Christians to Nigeria and solve the problem. If more are needed we have extra. They could ask their invisible friend in the sky to help out also.
Two … Nigerian late night presidential tweet … non-sequiturs and asides re: the World Series and US stock valuations …
That series was one of the best … Ken Burns will have to do an encore BB presentation … In spite of the Jays setting Goliath individual and team batting records, little LA David managed at last gasp to bean Goliath’s temple with a repeat win. What a series….
And … for the week of 31 Oct 2025, the US market cap to GDP reached a frothy record of 223.83%.
This compares to 140% in 2000, 108% in 2007, and 68% in 1987.
It’s amazing what QE, 6-14% annual GDP deficit spending, and 15 trillion in stock buy-backs – vice investing in R and D to promote US business and manufacturing interest – can do for stock valuations.
Was that the peak valuation? Time will soon tell.
When this bubble pops, there will be suicides all over the place. GO long undertakers.
TEF, you’ve got it backwards with LA and Toronto. LA’s total payroll is more than $100M more than Toronto and the payroll for LA’s four starting pitchers alone are more than 5 or 6 entire team payrolls. LA and big city markets can just buy championships now. The refreshing thing was that Toronto had LA on the ropes and could make the knockout punch.
Policeman is not really the right frame.
Normally we refer to such thugs as “wise guy”, mobster, hitman, or goon,
workin hard for that Peace Prize…
Shiny Object Sydrome
Does your management team appear to occasionally have the attention span of a fruit fly in a farmers market?
You’re probably dealing with leadership suffering from shiny object syndrome. But don’t worry, there are preventative treatments and recommended procedures for handling the side effects. Let’s slather on some hand sanitizer and dig into this.
What is “Shiny Object Syndrome?”
Shiny object syndrome (SOS) is a continual state of distraction brought on by an ongoing belief that there is something new worth pursuing. It often comes at the expense of what’s already planned or underway. It’s rooted in that childhood phenomenon of always wanting a new toy, even if your current toy is just fine.
In business, this trait can be downright disruptive— and not in a good way. When SOS sets in, it creates a cascade of chaos, unleashing all sorts of problems for the product team.
When you add that all up, it equals a total disruption of momentum and morale. Far too often, shiny object syndrome comes from the highest reaches of the organization.
Isn’t that we tried on the natives back in the explorer days?
In the war in Ukraine they serially refer to the introduction of a game-changer.
Is Trump’s gilded Oval Office, golden ballroom, golden dome, golden fleet in any way an adumbration of a theme?
Trump has a gold fetish; didn’t you know?
And apparently a fetish for little girls.
Describes Musk perfectly. Not Trump so much as he requires no buy-in, just notoriety.
This is a terrible idea. We are not nor should we pretend to be the world’s policemen.
I thought we weren’t sending aid to anyone, anymore.
The US will “obliterate” the terrorists, just like Iran’s nuclear program….. What’s that, there are reports Iran may have tested a nuclear weapon?