War – Warren's space

Only the US Congress can authorize war. President Trump, who pays little attention to the law, has ordered an attack on Venezuela anyway. The US has kidnapped Venezuela’s President and his wife, who Trump says are on a US Navy ship on its way to New York. This hardly looks like the promised end of “forever wars.” At Trump’s press conference today, he bragged of a number of other illegal US bombings around the world during his “rule”. In addition, he told so many lies, that it is surely a record. The greatest lier of all times, as he might say.

Trump announced that the US will continue to remain and run the country for a while. As our occupation of Afghanistan and Iraq has clearly demonstrated, we are bad at running other countries’ we occupy. I have put my own experience in Iraq in a book I urge you to read: “Iraq: An American Tragedy-My Travels to Baghdad”

The list of Trump’s disregards for the law continues to grow as does the price America will pay. “The rule of law” The constitution provides only one remedy for such a lawless President. It’s time to apply it.

Author: Warren Coats

I specialize in advising central banks on monetary policy and the development of the capacity to formulate and implement monetary policy. I joined the International Monetary Fund in 1975 from which I retired in 2003 as Assistant Director of the Monetary and Financial Systems Department. While at the IMF I led or participated in missions to the central banks of over twenty countries (including Afghanistan, Bosnia, Croatia, Egypt, Iraq, Israel, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Kosovo, Kyrgystan, Moldova, Serbia, Turkey, West Bank and Gaza Strip, and Zimbabwe) and was seconded as a visiting economist to the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System (1979-80), and to the World Bank's World Development Report team in 1989. After retirement from the IMF I was a member of the Board of the Cayman Islands Monetary Authority from 2003-10 and of the editorial board of the Cayman Financial Review from 2010-2017. Prior to joining the IMF I was Assistant Prof of Economics at UVa from 1970-75. I am currently a fellow of Johns Hopkins Krieger School of Arts and Sciences, Institute for Applied Economics, Global Health, and the Study of Business Enterprise. In March 2019 Central Banking Journal awarded me for my “Outstanding Contribution for Capacity Building.” My recent books are One Currency for Bosnia: Creating the Central Bank of Bosnia and Herzegovina; My Travels in the Former Soviet Union; My Travels to Afghanistan; My Travels to Jerusalem; and My Travels to Baghdad. I have a BA in Economics from the UC Berkeley and a PhD in Economics from the University of Chicago. My dissertation committee was chaired by Milton Friedman and included Robert J. Gordon. I live in National Landing Va 22202 View all posts by Warren Coats

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