At the time of the assault on the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, many observers disagreed with labeling it a coup attempt. Political violence, for sure. Insurrection, perhaps. But a coup? In the United States? In fact, the reluctance to label what happened that day a coup flies in the face of what political scientists know about coups.
Since the launch of the “great power competition” framework, U.S. policymakers seem to have moved on entirely from the war on terror, focusing instead on countering China and Russia. But as the U.S. military’s significant presence in Niger demonstrates, it would be a mistake to consider the war on terror as solely in the past.
A congressional hearings last Wednesday suggested the U.S. government possesses extraterrestrial UFOs. Skepticism seems warranted. But if, for the sake of argument, it is eventually confirmed that intelligent, extraterrestrial life forms have visited Earth and continue to do, it would have profound impacts on international politics.
