By David W. Marshall
(Trice Edney Wire) – In the weeks after the U.S. and Israeli strikes began in Iran, the Trump administration continues to give Americans reasons to be alarmed about the leadership and direction of our nation. I was unfamiliar with the military’s use of the term “no quarter” until Defense Secretary Hegseth recently used it during a Pentagon press briefing about the ongoing war. Hegseth vowed, “We will keep pressing. We will keep pushing, keep advancing, no quarter, no mercy for our enemies.” The term “no quarter” means showing absolutely no mercy, pity, or leniency toward an enemy. It implies killing combatants even if they surrender rather than taking them as prisoners. It is a phrase rooted in military history.
Most frameworks of international humanitarian law, the Hague and Geneva Conventions, forbid this tactic. In international law, declaring or ordering “no quarter” is recognized as a war crime. The “no quarter” vow may have been just tough talk for the moment, but the mention of it in that context remains a sign of a nation once described as being a shining city on a hill becoming ruthless on the world stage. American exceptionalism is the belief that the United States is inherently unique, distant, or superior to other nations due to its specific history, democratic ideals, and political institutions. It suggests that America’s superiority is not out of arrogance, but rather being the moral and ethical leader for others to follow. The idea of American exceptionalism, since the rise of the MAGA movement, is open to wide interpretation.
For people in the MAGA movement, patriotism and American exceptionalism entail a strong national identity and an “America First” foreign policy, with less emphasis on international institutions and alliances. When Ronald Reagan, in his Farewell Address,” defined his vision of the shining city upon a hill, I do not believe he had war crimes and distancing ourselves from our closest allies as being part of America’s strength and global example.
We find ourselves in another war after President Trump campaigned on ending wars. Therefore, what is the U.S.’s Iranian policy and exit strategy for this American-led war? President Trump told Fox News Radio that he didn’t think the war “would be long.” But he suggested that only he would know when it would be over, saying the conflict would end “when I feel it, feel it in my bones.” Wars are expensive not just in dollars, but in human toll. The death of Americans in this conflict is hard to accept when we have a leader who has failed to clearly explain why he started a war with an unpredictable path. True American exceptionalism relies on the nation’s political institutions fully demonstrating democracy and the separation of powers.
U.S. Reps. Ro Khanna and Thomas Massie were correct when they co-sponsored a war powers resolution that would have placed limits on President Trump’s powers as he relies on his personal feelings and judgment as he continues his war with Iran. The House voted 219-212 to allow the Trump administration to go unchecked. The Senate voted against a similar measure. Sen. John Fetterman was the only Democrat to vote against the resolution. Sen. Rand Paul was the only Republican. We no longer have a system of checks and balances and the true separation of powers. Every Republican and Democrat lawmaker should maintain the best interest of the nation and their sworn oath, regardless of who occupies the executive branch. The vote shows how the Democratic caucus cannot count on John Fetterman to hold the line of accountability against an administration that speaks openly and boldly of committing war crimes. The House and Senate votes show that America, as the “beacon of light” to the world, is getting dimmer.
Being seen and respected as the shining city on the hill comes from America’s humanitarian might, not its military might. Our light around the world became much dimmer with the Trump administration’s cuts in the lifesaving aid worldwide through the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID). USAID has facilitated much of the U.S. government’s humanitarian and foreign development assistance since its establishment in 1961. USAID brought lifesaving medicines, food, clean water, and assistance for farmers — all for less than one percent of the federal budget.
When justifying ending humanitarian aid to the poor, the Trump administration argued that the “foreign aid industry and bureaucracy are not aligned with American interests and in many cases antithetical to American values,” and therefore should be reduced or dismantled. In short, we are cutting humanitarian aid, but funding a questionable war. The same American First framework that led the Trump administration to cut humanitarian and developmental programs is quick to pour money into the military confrontation with Iran. National interest is now more narrowly defined in military terms, without balancing the critical need to reduce poverty and improve basic quality of life situations. We know that Trump will never feel it in his bones to help the poor, here or abroad.
David W. Marshall is the founder of the faith-based organization TRB: The Reconciled Body and the author of the book God Bless Our Divided America.
