Eight days ago, the world woke up to learn that President Donald Trump had launched an attack on Iran. He has since gone ahead to kill the Supreme Leader of Iran, killed several political and military leaders of that country, and along the way, bombed scores of civilians, including school children.
This follows the attack and kidnapping of Nicholas Maduro of Venezuala into the United States, where he is currently on trial.
Following the attack, the Iranians started attacking other nations in the Middle East. Currently, the whole region has been disrupted with flights and economic activity grinding to a halt. No matter what happens in the next few days or weeks, there is no doubt that the Middle East would never be the same, and would take years, if not decades, to build back to the safe haven it was becoming.
But even as the bombs and fighter jets are flying over Iran, Donald Trump is buzzing forward. He is now talking about invading Cuba. And it is no joke. He talked incessantly about Maduro before he kidnapped him with his military. He talked incessantly about Iran and its Supreme Leader before he attacked the country and assassinated its leader, and he is now talking about Cuba.
I will accept any wager that before the year is out, Cuba would be under attack. When there has been absolutely no provocation for this.
The world has a mad man on its hands; and he has the nuclear codes in his hands.
It would only be a mad man who would, in this day and age, talk of annexing Greenland, for instance.
As a democrat, I have always admired the American example. I am shamelessly pro-Western, and believe that the type of development western democracy provide serves as a beacon for the rest of the world, but Donald Trump has shaken my faith in the ballot box.
I watched a video of British Prime Minister Kier Stammer stammering on how the United Kingdom has been pressed into allowing the United States to use its bases in the Middle East as jump-off points by American aircraft going into Iran. Clearly, Stammer was deeply distressed about a situation where he was being pressed to become an ally to a person who was engaged in murderous conduct. And that is what Mr. Trump is; a man who has absolute power in his hands and is gung-ho about using that power.
When Russia invaded Ukraine, our then President had cause to complain because he saw many years of very hard work by himself and other African leaders being destroyed by the adventures of Putin. Fast forward, the adventures of Donald Trump and Israel in the Middle East is destroying many years of very hard work by countries in that part of the world to build up tourism, for instance. The attack has landed a crippling blow to international travel, and without doubt, even when the last bullet is fired, it would take years to return the situation to what it was before.
Do not forget that before Maduro, and before Iran, the thug in the White House had also disrupted global trade with tariffs. And even as I write, this cavalier attitude towards established norms, contracts and business agreements had all but clobbered global trade.
Before then, Mr. Trump had gone after many United Nations agencies, as well as departments within the American government machinery that he believes do not advance American/White/Business interests. Through that too, he has caused untold worldwide havoc affecting tens of millions of people.
It seems that for all intents and purposes, Mr. Trump has very little regard for any type of human being beyond a very narrow group of people in his orbit. He insults minorities, insults and ridicules the disabled.
It is amazing that the American public found it worthwhile to make this odious person the most powerful person on the planet, and when, one day, America finally sees him off, it would take decades for that nation to earn back the prestige and regard that the rest of the world had for it.
(Periscope Depth of the Daily Searchlight of 9th March 2026)
