Robert Reich: Thug World - OpEd

January 4, 2026
By Robert Reich

In the first year of Trump’s second term, he imposed his thuggery on the United States. In the second year, apparently he will impose it on the hemisphere.

America’s takeover of Venezuela — because it’s in our “backyard” and we didn’t like its leader — strengthens Putin’s claim over Ukraine, Xi’s over Taiwan, and Netanyahu’s over the West Bank and Gaza.

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Trump seems intent on carving up the world into three large power blocs: one under the thuggery of Putin, the second under the thuggery of Xi, and the third under Trump’s thuggery (allied with sou-thugs like Israel’s Netanyahu).

To be a “neighbor” of a thug is to surrender to the thug’s wishes or to the thug’s direct control. Within Putin’s thuggery fall Ukraine and quite possibly Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, and the rest of the former Soviet bloc.

Within Xi’s thuggery fall Taiwan, Tibet, Mongolia, and possibly Nepal.

Within Trump’s thuggery fall the rest of Latin America, including Mexico, and possibly even Greenland and Canada.

Beware. The Trump world order makes the world safe only for major tyrants.

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Ooohhhhh Steve Witkof is this what you’ve been doing?