On Warlords

People Love Them

Howdy,

A lot of people don’t understand why Americans love Donald Trump. This, my friends, is part of our problem.

Are you serious? You can’t understand it?

I sure as hell can. First, he’s very entertaining. Those years appearing on WWE and The Apprentice helped his timing tremendously. He can be genuinely funny at times. More importantly, he learned that Americans love fake shit: wrastln’ and “reality television.”

Second, he’s a gigantic middle finger to the man! Now, why are people upset in the first place? I have no fucking idea. Seriously, I’ve been retired for six months, and people, let me tell ya, this is fuckn’ heaven.

Nevertheless, Trump hits that sweet little spot for so many people. He’s the permission structure they’ve always wanted so that they can be gigantic assholes to their fellow Americans. He tells people repeatedly that their righteous indignation is not only understandable—but justified! There’s always a lot of money to be made peddling such nonsense.

Lastly, and most importantly, people love authoritarians. I should know! I love them, too. They’re fun, exciting people. Look, man, I get it. Some of the fondest memories in my life are sitting around shooting the shit with warlords.

Bruh, they’re a fuckn’ hoot! They’re usually always charismatic and gregarious. Sure, sure, they’re ruthless monsters, but if you can get past that part, I’ve found them to be quite fun to chill with. I loved having dinner with them and listening to their bullshit. The jokes they had—especially when translated correctly—were unbelievable. They usually always had delicious whiskey.

(Sorry to tell everyone. But sometimes, we partner with some rather interesting characters at the outer edges of the empire).

The point is that Trump is a wannabe authoritarian. Should we elect him again, we will find out if he can fill the shoes of his man crushes, Putin and Xi. Maybe the institutions will hold. Maybe.

Most of his political opponents cannot grasp his appeal. I saw that a lot in Afghanistan. NATO couldn’t understand why some Afghans preferred the Taliban. That’s unfortunate because everyone—I don’t care who you are—is capable of falling under the sway of an authoritarian.

Anyway, my point is that to defeat your enemy, albeit in the political arena or on the battlefield, you must understand their appeal. And then concoct an effective information operation strategy against his supporters to peel them off. That’s part of what The Bulwark is doing with Republican Voters Against Trump.

This isn’t an appeal for Dems to understand those rural country folk. Hardly. I know a lot of them, and they’re fine people on a one-on-one basis. Instead, it’s to understand that what is happening in the United States has happened countless times before across the globe.

There’s a bit of comfort in that. I never thought I’d see a warlord-type rise to such power in the United States, but, alas, here we are.

Everyone loves authoritarians.

Until they turn on them. Then they don’t. And that’s the most important part to understand. That’s the most important message: Yes, he’s funny and entertaining, but in the end, he’ll come for you when you’re no longer useful to him.

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Whispers of Aqsa

Hopefully, everyone got an email today with our first featured GCV+F writer, Aqsa Rahmani, a fourth grader who came to the United States in 2021. Her father, Colonel Abdul Rahman Rahmani, who appeared on Stories From My Brother, is a dear friend of mine. She will write frequently for GCV+F—and Colonel Rahmani will, too. He’s going to write a monthly column for us. Colonel Rahmani is a proud graduate of the National Defense University, one of America’s premiere war colleges.

I never would’ve gone to NDU. The US military only sends their future GOs to such places. And that sure as hell wasn’t ever going to be me—thank G*D!

Anyway, Colonel Rahmani is brilliant, well-read, and a trenchant analyst. I’m thrilled that he’s going to write for us. Here are a few of his articles: Here, Here, and Here.

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More Stuff

I wrote a little something for The Bulwark today in Morning Shots.

More importantly, I’ve hit terrorism nerd nirvana by appearing on Bill Roggio’s Generation Jihad podcast to discuss the anti-Taliban resistance. We will focus a lot on that topic, and I will bring some players in that little game onto GCV-F in the future.

As always, thanks for your support. While we don’t charge, we happily accept tips! By becoming a paid subscriber, you will help us expand our operations, get some help for our podcasts, and attract more guest writers.

I’m excited to build something with you. It’s an incredible part of my healing journey from four years of war. I’m so happy to have you along for the ride.

Until Next Time