Don Corleone carried his message through the United States. He conferred with compatriots in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Cleveland, Chicago, Philadelphia, Miami, and Boston. He was the underworld apostle of peace and, by 1939, more successful than any Pope, he had achieved a working agreement amongst the most powerful underworld organizations in the country. Like the Constitution of the United States this agreement respected fully the internal authority of each member in his state or city. The agreement covered only spheres of influence and an agreement to enforce peace in the underworld.
The Godfather, Mario Puzo
President Trump is moving towards the biggest change in US foreign policy since World War II.
Close study of The Godfather yields far better insight into the mind and methods of Donald Trump than the invariably wrong blather of the media and most of the commentariat. A cottage industry of pundits hyperventilates daily about his tweets and public pronouncements, 90 percent of which is fluff and misdirection. It’s a much smaller group who focus on what Trump actually does.
Three realities confronted Trump when he assumed office. The US empire is unsustainable, so too is the trajectory of its spending and debt, and the government is fundamentally corrupt. It would be foolish to bet Trump doesn’t understand these issues and the linkages between them.
