Judging Freedom LtCOL. Karen Kwiatkowski : Will Trump Start WWIII ?
Feb 17, 2026
LtCol. Karen Kwiatkowski, retired USAF lieutenant colonel and national security critic. She questions U.S. ability to beat near-peer militaries and critiques bloated budgets and misaligned procurement. She links aggressive foreign policy to late-stage imperial behavior and examines Pentagon audit failures, military decline, and risks from strained forces and hawkish actions.
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Bullying Signals Late-Stage Empire
- Persistent bullying of weaker states is a hallmark of late-stage empires and unconstrained leaders.
- Such bullying provokes costs and reflects decline rather than strategic strength, according to Kwiatkowski and General Leitch's framing.
Bullying Style Without Backing
- Donald Trump's combative style has been used abroad rather than to prioritize domestic reform.
- Kwiatkowski says Trump threatens and deploys force flamboyantly but lacks the backing capabilities to cash those threats.
Expansion Of Military Actions Under Trump
- Trump has bombed or enabled bombing in many countries and deepened U.S. military involvement.
- Kwiatkowski counts around eight countries bombed in 12 months plus support to Ukraine and contributions to Gaza's devastation.