A hitman and his accomplice
The German government remains silent as Trump ramps up his violent global rampage. Trump: “I don’t need international law,” and "only my own morality” can limit military interventions. Are Cuba and Iran next in line?
WASHINGTON/BERLIN (own report) – The German government remains largely silent on the Trump administration’s violent global rampage. As Washington commits an increasing number of crimes against foreign states, Bonn remains silent and even signals partial approval. The US president made it clear last week that he does not consider himself bound by international law, only by his “own morality”. Trump made this statement after initiating military strikes on Venezuela and the abduction of its president. He is now threatening an oil blockade against Cuba and a second war of aggression against Iran. As for Cuba, Trump would find it amusing to appoint US Secretary of State Marco Rubio as Cuban president – thus turning the country into a US protectorate. At the same time, he is calling for a massive increase in the United States’ military budget – up by two-thirds to 1.5 trillion US dollars. That would amount to around 55 per cent of all global military spending in 2024. Washington’s unrestrained acts of aggression against foreign countries are the equivalent, on the international level, of those frequent incidents of mass killings across the United States by weaponised individuals running amok and causing consternation and horror. Yet Berlin still won’t call it out. The German government continues to describe the situation in Venezuela as legally “complex”. Indeed, Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul is now calling for the West to “stand together” against Iran.
Beyond international law
US President Donald Trump confirmed in the middle of last week what has become obvious: he no longer considers himself bound by existing international law. This stance is new. Although the United States has long been breaking international law again and again, especially with its multiple wars of aggression and drone killings across Asia and Africa, Washington has always tried to maintain at least a semblance of legality through various legal get-outs (“war on terror”) and outright lies (e.g. the alleged weapons of mass destruction in Iraq). But those times are over. The US boat killings in the Caribbean, the war of aggression against Venezuela and the abduction of its president, Nicolás Maduro, constitute serious breaches of international law. Following these acts, Trump has now expressly stated his position. Asked about limits to his power, Trump replied, “Yeah, there is one thing. My own morality. My own mind. That’s the only thing that can stop me.”[1] When asked whether international law would really oblige him to do anything at all, Trump said, “That depends on how you define international law,” and bluntly stated, “I don’t need international law.” So the United States has arrived at an understanding of law that resembles that of absolutist rulers of the early modern period.
From sovereign state to US protectorate
Trump is now applying this own understanding of law not only to Venezuela, which fell victim to US aggression on the night of 3 January [2] but now also to Cuba, Iran and other sovereign countries. After the attack on Venezuela, he declared that the Cuban government would soon collapse of its own accord, especially since Cuba would no longer receive oil from Venezuela with immediate effect. Havana has been dependent on oil supplies from Caracas for years. It was already suffering from the fact that Venezuela, under Maduro, had reduced its energy exports to the Caribbean nation in response to intense pressure from the United States. The energy crisis already shaking Cuba has now been hugely exacerbated.[3] The extension of the US blockade of Cuba, which has been in place for more than six decades, to include a de facto energy embargo is likely to wreck the country’s economy and cause considerable suffering among Cubans. Over the weekend, Trump demanded that Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel immediately “make a deal”. By this he means another regime change. The intention was confirmed by Trump’s response to a social media quip about appointing US Secretary of State Marco Rubio as the new Cuban president: “Sounds good to me.”[4] Such a move means, of course, turning Cuba from a sovereign state into a US protectorate.
A second assault on Iran?
In addition to his threats to overthrow Colombian President Gustavo Petro, Trump is considering a war of aggression against Iran. He justifies this with reference to brutal suppression of protests by the Tehran government. Last week, he first declared that Iran was “in big trouble” before saying on Saturday, with regard to the street protests, that the “US is ready to help!”[5] There are also reports that Trump, in addition to promising to give Israel a free hand in a possible second war with Iran, was also presented last week with concrete options for further US military targeting, particularly in Tehran. These strikes are conceivable not only on military but also on non-military targets in the Iranian capital. If they include facilities belonging to the police, intelligence agencies and paramilitary units, their destruction could potentially plunge the entire country into bloody chaos and even civil war. Attacks on all government institutions, ministries or the president himself are also conceivable. Such extreme acts would be in line with Israel’s practice of assassinating the leaders of adversaries. Iran’s President Masoud Peseshkian narrowly survived such an attempt in June.
Military budget: 1.5 trillion dollars
President Trump’s official rejection of international law and his turn to raids and other acts of violence against foreign states are accompanied by his administration’s plans for a dramatic increase in its already enormous military budget. Trump stated last week that the armed forces budget must be increased from around 900 billion dollars in 2026 to 1.5 trillion US dollars in 2027: a two-thirds increase.[6] Weapons experts see this expansion as necessary for financing several unprecedented armament projects in addition to the procurement of huge quantities of artillery and ammunition. Among other things, Trump wants to implement a space-based missile defence programme (the ‘Golden Dome’) designed to protect the entire United States from attack. The long-run costs are, reportedly, expected to run into the trillions.[7] Trump also wants to build up to 25 new battleships capable of carrying a huge array of weapons. Experts warn, however, that such battleships may be good for displaying military might, but they will be sitting targets for all kinds of drones and anti-ship missiles. Washington also plans to build a sixth-generation fighter jet (F-47). The cost of the battleships and fighter jets is estimated to be in the hundreds of billions.
No fundamental criticism from Germany
The German government refuses to offer any clear criticism of illegal acts of US aggression. Indeed, Berlin has even expressed agreement with some incidences of Trump’s use of naked force. Berlin’s stance signals approval of the Trump administration’s global rampage. In response to the violent crimes committed by the US against Venezuela, which are a clear and obvious contravention of international law, Chancellor Friedrich Merz has said that the situation was “complex”.[8] For its part, the EU – and thus Berlin, too – has refused to recognise vice-president Delcy Rodríguez as Venezuela’s interim president. In calling for power to be transferred to María Machado, the EU implicitly recognises the violent abduction of President Maduro by the US armed forces as lawful.[9] The German government has not yet commented on Trump’s latest threat to overthrow the Cuban government with the help of an oil blockade. As for the developments in Iran, German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul has stated that “the West” must “now stand together”, opining that the “oppression of the people” and the “mistreatment of human beings” are “unacceptable”.[10] Wadephul does not use the word “unacceptable” to describe the US threat of a war of aggression against Iran and the ensuing violent upheaval in Tehran. The Germany Foreign Minister’s response indicates at least partial approval of the crimes of violence with which Washington is bombing its way towards what will effectively be the end of international law.
[1] David E. Sanger, Tyler Pager, Katie Rogers, Zolan Kanno-Youngs: Trump Lays Out a Vision of Power Restrained Only by ‘My Own Morality’. nytimes.com 08.01.2026.
[2] See: Colonial ambitions.
[3] Zachary Folk: Trump Says Cuba Needs To ‘Make A Deal’ After Removing Maduro From Venezuela. forbes.com 11.01.2026.
[4] Ryan King: Trump suggests Marco Rubio could soon get another job – president of Cuba. nypost.com 11.01.2026.
[5] Tyler Pager, Eric Schmitt, Edward Wong: Trump Is Briefed on Options for Striking Iran as Protests Continue. nytimes.com 10.01.2026.
[6], [7] Trump’s $1.5 Trillion Defense Budget Should Not Come as a Surprise. cfr.org 09.01.2026.
[8] See: Colonial ambitions.
[9] Thomas Gutschker: Ein bisschen Dissens mit den USA. Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung 09.01.2026.
[10] Stefanie Reulmann: Wadephul lässt militärisches Vorgehen offen. zdf.de 11.01.2026.
