Letter to the editor: America's signature is written in pencil

First published in the Brunswick Beacon, 09.03.26

In 1980, Oman signed a military cooperation agreement with the U.S. In 2025, Trump thanked Omani Foreign Minister Badr Albusaidi for hosting negotiations with Iran. Talks ended abruptly when Israel bombed Iran and Trump joined Israel’s attack.

In 2026, Oman hosted new negotiations that collapsed after Israel and the U.S. again bombed Iran. Badr Albusaidi said negotiations were on the “verge of a real deal,” adding, “It was a shock but not a surprise when — just hours after the latest and most substantive talks — Israel and America again launched an unlawful military strike against the peace that briefly appeared possible.” He said America had “lost control of its own foreign policy” to Israel. Trump then threatened Oman, too: “If Oman gets in the way, we’ll bomb the shit out of them.”

Citing “catastrophic experience with U.S. diplomacy,” Iran said, “No one like us will make a deal with you. Not now. Not ever.” Now, not even Canada, our closest friend and second-largest trading partner, will.

President Reagan’s proposed North American Free Trade Zone became reality in 1994. Trump called NAFTA “the worst trade deal ever” and threatened to blow it up unless Canada and Mexico renegotiated. Trump’s threat produced the USMCA, which, he bragged, was “the largest, fairest, most balanced trade agreement ever.”

Six years later Trump scuttled his own deal, saying, “We don’t need anything Canada has. We don’t need anything Mexico has, but they need everything we have. They have to treat us better.”

When Trump demanded veto power over Canada’s trade agreements with other countries, Canadian Prime Minister Carney refused. “America is trying to break us so they can own us,” said Carney. Trump proved Carney’s point, saying Canada “wants the benefits” of being a U.S. state “without being one.”

“America has changed,” Carney said. “Sometimes, its signature is written in pencil.”

Whether you’re America’s worst enemy or best friend, Trump made America’s word worthless. That makes America less safe.

Robert Bannerman

Supply