Empire Strikes Back
The end of the American Century and the return of American imperialism
Whatever else it’s done, the first full week of 2026 has reminded me that my training isn’t in church history, but the history of international relations. First, I’m teaching the three-week January version of my course on the Second World War, with this morning’s class dedicated to explaining the Japanese invasions of China in the 1930s and tomorrow’s turning to the war’s origins in Europe. Meanwhile, here in the 21st century, I’ve been watching the current president of the United States conduct one foreign incursion (sending a covert force to Venezuela to abduct its much-reviled president) and loudly contemplate another (the annexation of Greenland, which threatens to implode the NATO alliance).
It’s hard to know how to respond to those latter events. Even the fiercest Trump critic can’t mourn the downfall of a corrupt authoritarian like Nicólas Maduro, and even the most loyal Trump backer must be confused why the supposed anti-war candidate of 2024 keeps pursuing military interventions now that he’s back in the Oval Office.1
So know that I’m not here to critique Trump’s foreign policy, so much as to share a bit of historical commentary that might help put his recent actions and rhetoric in context.
