In earlier times, American military action in Venezuela and abduction of the country’s dictator might have been seen as just another takeover of a decrepit country that has something the U.S. wants – in many cases, oil. However, President Donald Trump has changed everything. The thin veil of bringing democracy and supposed prosperity to oppressed people is now nowhere to be found. The Western world has entered the realm of an empire seeking nothing less than imperial domination. Might is its only standard for what is right.

As a result, every country in the West is on notice: you too could be the recipient of an invading American military force that aims to bring your nation under its boot. Greenland, Colombia and Mexico appear to be next on Trump’s list. However, there is little rhyme or reason to U.S. foreign policy. The American leader has, as all know, expressed his desire for Canada to become the 51st state. At first, we did not take that threat seriously. Now, it is a genuine possibility.

Perhaps it’s even more possible given the weak response of Canada’s political leaders. Prime Minister Mark Carney gave a terse defence of international law while “welcoming the opportunity for freedom, democracy, peace and prosperity for the Venezuelan people.” Opposition Leader Pierre Poilievre gave his wholehearted support to the American military action. 

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In his encyclical Fratelli Tutti, Pope Francis asked, “Nowadays, what do certain words like democracy, freedom, justice or unity really mean? They have been bent and shaped to serve as tools for domination, as meaningless tags that can be used to justify any action.” Recall earlier promises of freedom and democracy for Iraq, Afghanistan and other nations.

Trump’s claim that he has restored the 200-year-old Monroe Doctrine is subject to scrutiny. That doctrine was a response to the imperialism of its time, quickly to devolve into a rationale for American imperialism. Trump, however, has not restrained his activities to the western hemisphere, having bombed Iran, Iraq, Yemen, Nigeria, Somalia and Syria during his first year in office. Militarism is in full flight.

Although Trump has upped the ante, his militarism did not come out of the blue. In 2025, the United States accounted for almost two-thirds of global military spending, more than three times the amount of its nearest competitor, the People’s Republic of China. This has been the case for decades, causing little alarm among people around the world. 

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“America can project our will anywhere, anytime,” claims Pete Hegseth, the U.S. defence secretary. This is a true statement.

Today, we may be on the precipice of global nuclear war.

The Catholic Church has denounced the arms buildup, its relation to global poverty and war itself, especially over the last 65 years. Popes have consistently stated that the violence of war is no solution to the world’s problems. They have urged the abolition of nuclear weapons. 

Pope John Paul II rejected the first American invasion of Iraq as “an adventure without return.” That was a prophetic statement, relevant not only to a military action in one place and time but even more so to the destruction of humanity that would result from global war. The streets would flow with blood, and civilization would take centuries to recover.

“Every war leaves our world worse than it was before. War is a failure of politics and of humanity, a shameful capitulation, a stinging defeat before the forces of evil,” said Pope Francis. Yet, it appears that because war has become common in other parts of the world, we have become inured to its devastation. That prosperous nations have been sheltered from war in recent decades has left us comfortable but naïve.

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We should not be blasé about the current crisis. Evil is afoot in our world. Its ugliest face is that of political violence and domination. Such violence is not the preserve of one nation. Evil is present in all countries that seek to dominate their own people or conquer other nations. It also exists among those who remain idle, hoping the threat of war will evaporate.

Yet that will not happen. The hour is late, but we must stand firm in urging our leaders to be prophets of peace, opponents of the sick machinations of the powerful. Pope John Paul often spoke of a culture of death and a culture of life. The choice between them is existential. Either we stand against violence and domination, or the world may reap a whirlwind.