International security

Rachel Marsden: US war machine ramping up despite absence of threat

Western Europe wasn't the only time zone that jumped ahead over the past weekend. Apparently the Doomsday Clock is also participating in daylight saving time this year, leaping ahead following the replacement of non-interventionists with warmongers in critical U.S. national-security positions.

Is there any voice of reason left in this White House that would not encourage shooting first and asking questions later? As commander in chief, President Donald Trump was entrusted with that role by the American people, and the composition of his entourage -- a delicate balance of hawkish ideologues and pragmatic realists -- initially suggested that building bridges through long-term cooperation with non-traditional allies might actually be possible.

The idea of finding common ground with historical foes is such a bizarre concept for Washington to wrap its head around that Trump has been accused by both establishment leftists and neoconservatives of colluding with the enemy for wanting to avoid more war. Does a president have to bomb a country to prove non-collusion and get some peace and quiet in the Oval Office? That might, in fact, be the case.