Does Hamadeh stand with the Constitution or imperialism?

Brent Peak

Submitted photo/Northwest Valley Indivisible

OPINION — When Donald Trump refers to Greenland as part of “our hemisphere,” follows a military incursion into Venezuela with threats toward Mexico, Colombia and Cuba, and celebrates the “Donroe Doctrine,” this is no longer simply tough talk. It is the rhetoric of imperialism.

Imperialism is the belief that power creates entitlement — that strength justifies domination. It treats sovereignty as optional, allies as expendable and international law as an obstacle rather than a guardrail.

The Western Hemisphere has lived this story before. From U.S.-backed coups to military interventions framed as “stability,” Latin America bears deep scars from imperial thinking. Reviving this posture now does not make Americans safer. It makes our neighbors less trusting and the world more dangerous.

It also threatens America’s legacy.

The U.S. has claimed to stand for self-determination, the rule of law and restraint over conquest. That claim is what allowed the U.S. to shape global norms and lead without ruling. When we abandon those principles, we lose moral authority — the foundation of real leadership.

Congressman Abe Hamadeh has echoed the language of imperialism outright — praising the administration for “defending our backyard,” framing the hemisphere as something the U.S. owns, controls and polices through force.

Calling other nations our “backyard” reduces sovereign countries to property. Framing military incursion as “peace through strength” normalizes domination while bypassing constitutional limits and democratic accountability. This is not conservatism or patriotism. It is the worship of power gained at the expense of those without it.

As a veteran, Hamadeh swore an oath to defend the Constitution — not to a president or party, and notto  an imperial vision of American dominance. Hamadeh is not honoring that oath. He is undermining it.

The hemisphere does not belong to the United States.

Abe Hamadeh should decide whether he stands with the Constitution — or with imperialism.

Brent Peak is the co-chair of the progressive grassroots group, Northwest Valley Indivisible. Please submit comments at yourvalley.net/letters or email them to AzOpinions@iniusa.org. We are committed to publishing a wide variety of reader opinions, as long as they meet our Civility Guidelines.