Gangster Foreign Policy  

Who is running the show and where is it taking us?

George D. O’Neill Jr.

Mar 12, 2026

https://www.theamericanconservative.com/gangster-foreign-policy/

Once again, we are embroiled in a new foreign war—not surprisingly at the behest of Benjamin Netanyahu. The Trump administration chose to enter this illegal war without the required congressional approval, as it did the illegal war against Venezuela. 

The American people have for decades consistently voted against American participation in wars. A century ago, candidate Woodrow Wilson campaigned on keeping us out of the First World War. Many historians credit his decision as president to enter the war as a major cause of the even more destructive Second World War. Since then, presidential candidate after presidential candidate has promised to stay out of wars. But, once they win, new wars invariably begin. Why?

It is abundantly clear that most of the American people are against this latest Middle Eastern war, yet Congress is afraid to fulfill their constitutional duty to stop it. Congress is not even willing to debate our participation in that frenzy of death and destruction. Why?

This decades-long pattern suggests there is some force or forces able to maintain an almost continual pro-war agenda. How does this happen in administration after administration without fail? It never seems to go the other way.

The recent disclosures about the Epstein syndicate’s influence and efforts on behalf of Israel has provided a glimpse into some of the possibilities, but our political leadership has fought hard to hide most of the damning information. Is the Epstein syndicate the major force driving our foreign policy, or just one of many? Thankfully, Representatives Ro Khanna and Thomas Massie are still bravely fighting to reveal fully the extent of the depravity and influence. 

As our leadership appears to be increasingly subservient to the Netanyahu regime, our government further apes its brutal, nihilistic behavior—such as conducting and bragging about illegal political assassinations, sneakily attacking countries during phony peace negotiations, and brazenly violating a plethora of laws and treaties. This thuggish behavior erodes American credibility and causes the world to cringe with horror. For many decades, America was respected around the globe. Yes, the U.S. acted in its own self-interest and exploited many along the way, but it at least dressed its behavior with some semblance of decorum and restraint. U.S. leadership is now feared like a rabid dog without a chain. That chain was a holdover from our Founding era’s Christian worldview, which is now rapidly dimming, especially among our current leadership.

Let’s start with the basics. Our Founders vested Congress with the sole power to declare war, knowing full well the dangers of executive overreach. Since 1942, however, our leaders have bypassed that sacred duty by using dishonest propaganda, funding endless conflicts through deceitful backdoor appropriations, and issuing phony emergency decrees. This isn’t leadership. It’s cowardice and lawlessness, a far cry from the postwar narrative of a world regulated by international norms. What will stop them? Running out of ammo? Bankruptcy? A monetary crisis that finally makes the American Empire totally unsupportable? We are supporting approximately 800 military bases worldwide. Does anyone believe that can last?

What about the United Nations—that much-maligned body, once derided as a communist front by Cold War hawks, many of whom were proto-neoconservatives? The UN was a Western creation, forged in the ashes of the Second World War to resolve conflicts without resorting to war. But it’s been sidelined, coopted, and rendered toothless, largely because of a structure that allows powerful nations—chiefly the U.S., Britain, and their proxies—to game the system. The Security Council’s veto power has become a shield for impunity, particularly when it comes to Israel’s belligerent behavior toward its neighbors.

Third-world countries, appalled by decades of Israel’s illegal and brutal treatment of Palestinians, have long decried this hypocrisy. UN Resolution 242, adopted in 1967 after the Six-Day War, called for Israel’s withdrawal from occupied territories, including Gaza and the West Bank, in exchange for peace. Israel voted for it, but fidelity to that promise? Nonexistent. Palestinian homes and farms are wrecked and bulldozed, settlements expand, walls rise, and the occupation grinds on, all while the U.S. vetoes any meaningful enforcement. Decades of resolutions condemning Israel’s actions have been routinely quashed by Washington, and often London, effectively granting Israel carte blanche in its ethnic cleansing campaign. Tragically, many of the wars since the Second World War have had an Israeli component—proxy conflicts, regime changes, and destabilizing military and covert actions aimed at clearing the path for a “Greater Israel” project.

What is the limiting authority in this gangster paradigm? We have devolved to might-makes-right diplomacy, where foreign nationals—often with deep pockets and ethnic grievances—hijack our government to settle old scores. How many American lives and dollars have been squandered in service to these false narratives?

With Venezuela under our boot, Cuba appears to be next on the hit list, due to the neocon hatred of Cuba which overshadows the politics of South Florida. Recall, Meyer Lansky and his mob syndicate flocked to Cuba in the 1950s to turn it into a corrupt casino haven for American vice. When Fidel Castro seized power, he crushed those operations, seized their assets, and expelled the gangsters. The Cuban people’s disgust with the organized crime and corruption of the Cuban government was a factor in the success of Castro’s revolution. The U.S. response? Decades of embargo, assassination attempts, and economic warfare, all fueled by grudge-holding elites.

This gangster foreign policy isn’t just illegal; it’s bankrupting us morally and financially. We’ve poured trillions of dollars into these ventures, amassing a debt greater than any country’s GDP. The Greater Israel dream, with its expansionist zeal, drags us into perpetual conflict, and foreign lobbies wield our military like a personal militia.

What would Jesus do in the face of this? The Prince of Peace wouldn’t cheer the starvation and slaughter of Gazan children, the attacking and wrecking of Venezuela, or the wanton bombing and assassinations in Iran. “Thou shalt not kill” isn’t a suggestion; it’s a commandment. It will survive long after the name-calling campaigns urging disobedience to it have been forgotten. Yet our leaders, mesmerized by donors and ideologues, betray that truth daily. This is demonstrated by Chief American Warrior, Pete Hegseth: “America is winning decisively, devastatingly, and without mercy.” Someone, call his pastor. Not exactly following the message of our Savior.

It’s time to stop. No more illegal invasions, no more unconstitutional wars. Let the UN function as intended, free from veto abuse. Demand accountability for those using our government to pursue ethnic grievances. Short of bankruptcy or a monetary meltdown, only public outrage can halt this slide. America First means defending our shores, not policing the world like a brutal mob boss. If we don’t reclaim our sovereignty from the pro-war forces, the future will be a continuum of endless debt, death, and decline. The choice is ours—before the ammo runs out, and our credibility and sovereignty are completely extinguished.