In the fifth of an eight-part series, John Keane says the declining US empire will manage without democracy as it turns on its own citizens.

In the history of democracy, militarism has been democracy’s chief nemesis. A new form of militarism is now infecting the empire’s heartlands with damaging effects on the spirit and substance of democracy everywhere. The boomerang effects of empire are palpably hurting its own democracy.

Trump has a definite fancy for military symbolism. His imperial presidency has robbed taxpaying and arms-bearing citizens of their say in matters of war. The Congress has voted – by a majority, probably unconstitutionally – not to restrict the war-making powers of the presidency.

The arbitrary design and execution of military goals and strategies are now high-level imperial secrets and prerogatives. Troops are meanwhile despatched to home borders to protect America from the scourge of unwanted immigrants. Undocumented civilians are rounded up in frightened communities, flung into military camps or deported to Guantánamo Bay.

The US military sells off or transfers its used or surplus weaponry to domestic police agencies. Militarised policing is consequently the new fashion. Officers kitted out in combat gear and armed with stun guns, tear gas cannon, pepper spray, sniper assault rifles, armoured trucks, drones and tanks are becoming the new normal. The data shows that in the United States around fifty thousand SWAT (special weapons and tactics) raids are carried out annually on household dwellings by teams dressed in military gear and wielding military weapons, including grenades thrown prior to the raids. Military-style police teams are also active during street demonstrations and in urban communities, where........

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