AMERICAN IDIOSYNCRASY: The 'u' of USA

The Trump 2.0 believes that presently American power, both economic and military is at its peak. Trump’s cronies need to advise him that the same thought was in the mind of the then POTUS Mr Bush 35 years ago when America led 37 nation force attacked Iraq. Americans had grossly underestimated the adversary and over estimated their collective might. Merely removing the head of state of a sovereign nation does not resolve the problems.

Trump 2.0 will complete ONE YEAR on 20th January, 2026. Poiltico-Military churning witnessed during past 365 days places the politico-military churning during past five decades into a shade. Hitherto it was unbelievable that ‘ONE PERSON’ and not ‘ONE SUPER POWER’ could cause such upheaval at global level. Trump has succeeded in doing so. His slogan ‘Make America Great Again (MAGA) was music to ears during his first tenure. But his actions post his victory in November, 2024 has changed MAGA to MAAA (Make America Alone Again). What his intentions are wrt Greenland or Canada is of little relevance to me but his diatribe and economically insane actions against India is a matter of concern.

My first significant view of ‘u’SA was the headline in the Indian English Daily, the Northern India Patrika (later Amrit Bazar Patrika) of 23rd November, 1963 which read ‘President Kennedy Assassinated’. I read the entire write up covering nearly the front page.

Then came 1965 war and blatant American help, supposedly a democracy, to a dictatorial regime of Pakistan. To me as a young 15 year old it was a contrarion action because I was under the impression that America helped us during and post 1962 conflict with China. Memories of PL 480 dole by America is still fresh in my mind. Indians adapted PL 480 phrase for ‘Dowry’.

A significant event in my personal life took place in 1967. Four of us classmates qualified for IIT. I qualified for NDA as well. I wanted to become fighter pilot having witnessed the first flight of HF-24 in June 1961. My three classmates left for America after completing B Tech from IIT Kanpur never to return. Lakhs of Indian super brains helped America achieve its super power status.

As an ordinary Indian, whose only source of information was through the highly controlled print and electronic media in form of radio, we were made to believe that China and Pakistan were our sworn enemies. But arrival of Seventh Fleet during 1971 war altered my view about America nearly permanently to ‘AMERICA CANNOT BE TRUSTED’. It is an irony, however, that IAF was connected from North to South and East to West by American communication system ‘TROPO’.

It is India’s misfortune that obtaining H1B VISA for our children (military in particular) was deemed to be of greater value than being promoted to next rank. Top echelon of our great nation be it a bureaucrat, military officer or rich businessman, who were blessed with an intelligent child, chose to send them to America. Of course it is pertinent to mention that such trans-atlantic flight took place because India did not have/still does not have world class academic institutions.

As an Indian Military soldier assigned to sit in most modern flying machines, American technology and flying machines became and still are my premier area of interest. Alas we never had the opportunity to fly American fighters. Indeed at present Indian Military has purchased most modern transport aircraft, Helicopters etc.

My belief ‘AMERICA CANNOT BE TRUSTED’ still remains, perhaps even more strong due to recent happening. However diplomatically India must still continue to ‘MILK’ America for its high tech equipment.

In spite of America and India being the two largest ‘functional’ democracies, both nations have rarely been on the same platform. Rationale of America’s continued support to terrorism by supporting the ‘global terror factory’ Pakistan is unfathomable.

Trump’s tirade against NATO nations during his first term appeared to be a rational action. Every nation must contribute for its security in a collective organisation viz NATO. But his claim to annex Greenland and include Canada as 51st state defies logic. But such irrational American actions must not be viewed with any surprise. Nearer times at the time of German unification the then American Secretary of State James Baker made an unequivocal commitment that ‘NO FURTHER EASTWARD EXPANSION OF NATO’, which then had 19 members. In 2026 NATO membership has swelled to 32 with NORDIC nations too joining the alliance. Therefore the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war is not a war waged by Ukraine but courtesy American mischief by enticing the puppeteer of Ukraine to join NATO.

On the issue of Greenland Trump has threatened to impose 15% tariff on prominent European nations and Nordic states wef 01 Feb 2026, which will be enhanced to 25% wef 01 June, 2026 if Greenland is not ‘handed over’ to ‘Unstable/Unreliable/Untrustworthy’ States of America.

American administration practices double standards. Be it refusing to be part of allies during 2nd world war until Pearl Harbour disaster or applying different set of rules for different nations. Supply of Russian oil to China and EU nations continues without penal tariffs but in case of India it is different.

Such continued irrational behaviour of successive American administration led me to look into the American background since its inception. What I discovered surprised me. The ‘u’ of USA in the original constitution is in small case and it is not a typo error. Original parchment signed by thirteen states in declaration of independence called America as united State of America. Small ‘u’ indicates the views of its founders that ‘the union of states was not to be seen as single monolithic entity but as a ‘COLLECTION’ of independent states which agreed to join for a specific purpose.

In 1776 the ‘united States’ essentially was a military alliance of a group of hitherto independent self governing entities than a single nation. Lowercase ‘u’ is a symbolic representation of independence of every state. The same continues even today. Keeping the independence of states in a loose confederation was perhaps to prevent rise of autocracy. However in spite of this, Trump’s threat to impose provisions of insurrection act point towards autocracy. In few cases Supreme Court has intervened to prevent deployment of national guards in some states to control local unrest.

A peep into the earliest documents which originated from Thomas Jefferson times mentions ‘THESE UNITED STATES’ and not ‘THE UNITED STATES’. The words ‘these’ and ‘the’ are not mere semantics or grammatical error. It was on 9th September, 1876, after a century, when the Congress decided that the title of America will be ‘United States of America’ with ‘U’ in capital.

Even then the first line of US parchment reads ‘The unanimous declaration of the Thirteen united States of America’ unlike Indian constitution which reads ‘We the People’. Final paragraph of the declaration clarifies that these ‘states’ will be deemed to be free and independent states. Although presently ‘u’ of United States is capital ‘U’ but the psyche has not changed.

Trump’s decision making in his current term emanates from the famous phrase ‘Power Corrupts; Absolute Power Corrupts Absolutely’. In less than a year Trump has succeeded in accomplishing what 46 PsOTUS before him could not accomplish collectively – isolating America. Whether or not Trump will use military option to occupy Greenland, which may lead to ‘White Man’s War’ might be unpredictable but what is highly probable in near future is that Trump administration may commence weaponising Pakistan and Turkiye on the pretext of exorcising the ghost of China to ‘punish’ India for refusing to accede to Trump’s dictate. What Pakistan will do with those weapons is only too well known.

Indian diplomacy will have to be at its best to convince ‘u’SA not to arm Pakistan. It is the small ‘u’ in the original American constitution that perhaps allows Trump to choose ‘Oil over Democracy’.