原文链接：https://medium.com/@giorgioprovinciali/hegseth-fires-generals-prays-for-violence-and-arrests-the-enemys-relatives-d7eaaf6620ad?sk=595d1f69da122229765516243441141e
The MadMan Theory: When a Democracy Starts to Resemble a Regime
By: Giorgio Provinciali
Live from Ukraine
Donetska Oblast’ – Having lived through the war Russia unleashed in Ukraine from the very beginning – starting in 2014 but planned since the dissolution of the USSR – we’ve learned to recognize a certain architecture of power when it manifests itself not only in rhetoric but in concrete actions, institutional silences, and in the way men in uniform, once eliminated, cease to be loyal to the style of a regime and begin to be loyal to the Constitution. From the Ukrainian trenches, looking at America, what we witness isn’t déjà vu – because in Russia, the people have never truly been sovereign – but a democracy being dismantled piece by piece.
«A madman is about to lead the great US military to ruin».
Attributed to General Randy George, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff of the US Army, this phrase does not seem to be a vent but rather a clinical diagnosis from someone who knows his patient inside out. As “The Guardian” reported, some US politicians reacted with alarm and questioned the US president’s mental state after Donald Trump issued an abusive, expletive-laden threat to Iran. Senator Chuck Schumer called Donald Trump «an Unhinged Madman». “France 24” reports that for Democratic Senator Chris Murphy of Connecticut, Trump’s attitude is «completely, utterly unhinged». Professor Al Gillespie of the University of Waikato even spoke to “RNZ” about «the Madman Theory», a strategy made famous by Richard Nixon’s failed attempt to end the Vietnam War.
Secretary of Defense – or rather, Secretary of War – Pete Hegseth orderedGeneral George’s immediate retirement and fired two other generals on the same day: Chief of Chaplains Maj. Gen. William Green Jr. and Commander of the Army Transformation and Training Command General David Hodne. By his own admission, Hegseth wants someone capable of implementing Trump’s vision for the military in those roles.
This is not an isolated incident. Thursday’s firings are part of a broader restructuring of military leadership initiated by the Trump administration in its second term: those dismissed already include Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General C.Q. Brown, Chief of Naval Operations Admiral Lisa Franchetti, and Air Force Vice Chief of Staff General Jim Slife. From this perspective, the pattern of these moves closely resembles the systematic removal of potential opponents and their replacement with personal rather than professional loyalty, as already observed in Russia.
The Moscow regime has done it more brutally, but the principle remains the same: first, the institutional counterweight is neutralized, then executive power becomes absolute due to the lack of resistance.
On March 28, 2026, over 3,300 coordinated demonstrations took place across the United States, with an estimated participation of between eight and nine million people: the largest single-day protest in American history. The term coined to identify the movement – No Kings – aptly captures what is happening. «I’m thinking of the men and women of 1776 who announced to the world that they no longer wished to be ruled by the king of England. Today, in 2026, our message is exactly the same: no more kings» – said one of the protesters.
Eight million people in the streets of a consolidated democracy are not the sign of an ordinary government crisis. They are the immune system of a nation sensing a structural infection.
Judicial orders are being ignored, civil rights are being suppressed, and ordinary citizens are being harmed or even persecuted in countless ways. This is what you see when you observe Donald Trump’s America.
Pete Hegseth – who prefers to be called «Secretary of War» – has introduced into Pentagon management a factor that liberal democracies have learned, at great cost, to keep separate from the military: religion as a fuel for war. In his book “American Crusade”, Hegseth wrote that the United States faces a «crusading moment» reminiscent of the 11th-century Christian invasion of the Holy Land. He claimed that Christians, along with their Jewish allies and their army in Israel, must «take up the sword of unapologetic Americanism».
This rhetoric is now official policy in America.
During a religious service at the Pentagon, Hegseth prayed for «wisdom in every decision, endurance under trial, unbreakable unity, and overwhelming violence against those who deserve no mercy», adding that these things were asked «with bold confidence in the mighty name of Jesus Christ, King above all kings». Hegseth concluded a recent press conference by quoting Psalm 144: «Blessed be the Lord, my rock, who trains my hands for war and my fingers for battle».
Legal experts point out that terms like «no mercy» and «no quarter» have a precise legal meaning in the international law of armed conflict: even«taking no prisoners» – an expression used by Hegseth – is a war crime.
The fusion of faith and military power is not an anomaly of modern history but one of its most documented pathologies.
Just think of Patriarch Kirill of Moscow, who blesses the Kalibr missiles and calls the war in Ukraine a «holy war» against Western corruption. The mechanism is the same: mass murder is transformed into divine fulfillment, individual moral responsibility is removed, and a narrative is constructed in which the adversary is not a human being but an evil entity deserving of annihilation.
The contrast with the words of Pope Leo XIV – «Jesus, King of Peace, does not listen to the prayers of those who wage war, but rejects them» – could not be more stark.
In Washington, the granddaughter and great-granddaughter of Iranian General Qasem Soleimani – Hamide Soleimani Afshar and her daughter – were arrested by ICE after Secretary of State Marco Rubio revoked their green cards. The State Department accuses them of supporting and promoting the Iranian government’s positions.
No trial. No sentencing. Just the administrative exercise of executive power over the legal existence of individuals deemed politically undesirable. From the perspective of the rule of law, this is a pattern that anyone working in post-Soviet countries immediately recognizes: the arbitrary revocation of legal status as a tool for political pressure and neutralization, without following the usual judicial process.
Having lived in Ukraine for many years, we have had the painful chance to witness firsthand how a democratic system can be undermined from within. Not necessarily through a coup, as recent Russian history illustrates. More often, it occurs through a series of gradual steps, each justifiable on its own but destructive combined: replacing military leaders with loyalists; using religion as a narrative to justify war; criminalizing perceived opponents administratively; restricting independent information; and consolidating regulatory power in the executive branch at the expense of the legislature.
Hegseth has already removed independent journalists from the Pentagon, restricting media access to those who support Trump. Therefore, in the USA, access to military information during wartime is now controlled by those who answer to the same chain of command managing the war.
Thus, the circle is complete.
The difference between Washington 2026 and Moscow remains significant because American institutions retain a structural resilience that Putin’s Russia had already lost in the early years. However, the general direction is the same, and those who have experienced what it involves know that the pace of change often becomes uncontrollable.
General Randy George knew it. That’s why he spoke. That’s why he was removed. That’s why his words, spoken an hour after losing command, carry the weight of lead: what he expressed is not the bitterness of a dismissed officer, but the expert testimony of someone who read certain signals and chose to speak out before leaving the scene.
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疯人理论：当一个民主国家开始酷似独裁政权
作者：Giorgio Provinciali
翻译：旺财球球
乌克兰前线报道
顿涅茨克州 —— 自2014年俄罗斯发动针对乌克兰的战争以来——事实上自苏联解体后这一计划便已开始酝酿，我们亲历始终，因而学会在空洞的言辞之外，通过具体行动、体制性的沉默以及军人被清除后由效忠政权转向效忠宪法的方式，去识别某种权力架构。在乌克兰战壕中观察美国，我们所见并非“似曾相识”——因为在俄罗斯，人民从未真正拥有主权，而是一个正在被一点一点拆解的民主国家。
“一个疯子即将把伟大的美军带向毁灭。”
这句话归于美军参谋长联席会议主席兰迪·乔治将军，听起来不像一时的发泄，更像是一个深入了解“病人”者的临床诊断。正如《卫报》报道的那样，在唐纳德·特朗普对伊朗发表辱骂性、满含咒骂的威胁后，一些美国政界人士警觉起来并质疑总统的精神状态。参议院员查克·舒默称特朗普为“失衡的疯子”。法国24报道称，康涅狄格州民主党参议员克里斯·墨菲认为特朗普“完全、彻底失控”。新西兰怀卡托大学的阿尔·吉莱斯皮教授甚至在RNZ谈及所谓“疯人理论”——这一策略因理查德·尼克松企图以之结束越战但终告失败，而闻名。
（图：据“浸信会全球新闻”共享的图片显示，“福音派领袖返回椭圆办公室为特朗普祈祷”——图片来源：浸信会全球新闻）
国防部长——或更确切地说，战争部长——皮特·赫格塞思在同一天下令让乔治将军立即退休，并解雇了另外两位将领：陆军牧师总长少将威廉·格林和陆军训练与转型司令部司令大将戴维·霍德恩。赫格塞思本人承认，他想在这些岗位上安插能够贯彻特朗普对军队愿景的人选。
这并非孤立事件。周四的解职是特朗普第二任期内启动的更大范围军事领导层重组的一部分：此前已被撤换者包括参谋长联席会议主席C.Q. Brown将军、海军作战部长丽莎·弗兰凯蒂上将以及空军副参谋长吉姆·斯莱夫将军。从这个角度看，这一系列动作的模式与已在俄罗斯观察到的系统性清除潜在对手并以私人忠诚取代职业忠诚非常相似。
莫斯科政权做得更为残酷，但原则相同：先瓦解体制性的制衡，随后因缺乏抵抗、行政权力走向绝对化。
（图：2026年3月28日周六，波士顿公园超过15万示威者——图片来源：Daily Beast——摄影：Brian Snyder/路透社）
2026年3月28日，全美范围内发生了超过3,300场协调示威，估计参与人数在八至九百万之间：这是美国历史上规模最大的单日抗议。这场运动的标识，“不要国王”恰如其分地反映了正在发生的事。“我想到1776年的男女，他们向世界宣布不再愿受英王统治。今天，2026年，我们的诉求完全相同：不再有国王，”一位抗议者如是说。
在一个成熟的民主国家中，八百万民众上街示威并非寻常的政府危机，而是一个民族的免疫系统感知到结构性感染所做出的反应。
司法命令被藐视、公民权利被压制、普通公民以各种方式受到伤害甚至迫害——这就是你看到的特朗普治下的美国。
（图：我在乌克兰基辅，俄军袭击后残存的灰烬中报道 —— 版权所有，Giorgio Provinciali）
偏好被称作“战争部长”的皮特·赫格塞思在五角大楼管理中引入了一个自由民主国家曾付出惨痛代价才与军队隔离的因素：把宗教作为战争燃料。在其著作《美国的十字军》中，赫格塞思写道，美国面临一个类似于11世纪基督徒入侵圣地的“十字军时刻”。他主张基督徒连同他们的犹太盟友及其在以色列的军队，必须“举起毫无歉意的美国主义之剑”。
这种言论现已成为美国的官方政策。
在五角大楼的一次宗教仪式上，赫格塞思祈求“在每一项决定中获得智慧，在试炼中保持忍耐，牢不可破的团结，并对那些不配得怜悯的人施以压倒性的暴力”，并称这些祈求“以万王之王耶稣基督的强大之名，怀着大胆信心而求”。赫格塞思在一次新闻发布会结尾引用了诗篇144篇：“赞美主，我的磐石，他训练我的手用于战争，我的指头用于争战。”
法律专家指出，“不留情面”、“不留活口”等词在国际武装冲突法中具有明确法律含义：连赫格塞思所使用的“不要俘虏”之类表达也可能构成战争罪。
（图：皮特·赫格塞思著作《美国的十字军》封面——图片来源：Amazon.ca）
信仰与军权的结合并非现代史的异常，而是其最有害的病变之一。
想想莫斯科宗主教基里尔为“Kalibr”巡航导弹祝圣并将对乌战争称为对西方堕落的“圣战”。机制完全相同：大规模杀戮被包装为神圣使命，个人的道德责任被抹除，构建起一种叙事，将对手非人化为应被消灭的邪恶存在。
这与教皇利奥十四的话形成鲜明对比：“和平之王耶稣，不会倾听发动战争者的祷告，而是拒绝他们。”
（图：Alla在第聂伯河对岸望向扎波罗热市，防空系统正在运作 —— 版权所有，Giorgio Provinciali）
在华盛顿，伊朗将领卡西姆·苏莱曼尼的孙女与重孙女——哈米德·苏莱曼尼·阿夫沙尔及其女儿——在国务卿马可·鲁比奥撤销其绿卡后被移民与海关执法局（ICE）逮捕。国务院指控她们支持并宣传伊朗政府立场。
没有审判。没有判决。只是行政部门对被视为政治上不受欢迎的个人的法律身份行使权力。从法治角度看，这是任何在后苏联国家工作的人都会立即识别的模式：绕开司法程序，用任意撤销法律身份来施加政治压力和清除异己。
（音频：这是我在History in the Making: The War in Ukraine一集中向一位特朗普选民提问的链接（该集标题中亦有一位在场）。随后我写过这篇文章：https://medium.com/@giorgioprovinciali/is-there-a-red-line-to-non-voters-0c9e7dde88a0，询问不投票者是否存在红线）
多年来居住在乌克兰，我们痛苦地亲眼见证了民主制度如何能在内部被侵蚀。并不需要通过政变，近年的俄罗斯史已说明了这一点。更常见的是通过一系列渐进的步骤，每一步单看都可自圆其说，但连在一起则具破坏性：以忠诚者替换军事领导人；以宗教话语为战争辩护；行政性地将被视为对手者定为犯罪；限制独立信息；强化行政权力、削弱立法制衡。
赫格塞思已将独立记者逐出五角大楼，只允许支持特朗普的媒体进入。因此在美国，如今战时军事信息，掌握在与作战决策同一指挥链的人手中。
至此，闭环已经形成。
（视频：这就是政权制造的结果——我们在乌克兰克拉马托尔斯克拍摄了这些影像 —— 版权所有，Giorgio Provinciali）
2026年的华盛顿与莫斯科之间的差别仍然显著，因为美国体制保有一种普京的俄罗斯早已失去的结构性韧性。然而，总体方向相同，而经历过这些的人都知道，变化的速度往往最终会变得不可控。
兰迪·乔治将军知道这一点。这就是他发声的原因。这就是他被撤职的原因。这也是为什么他在失去指挥权一小时后所说的话分量沉重：他表达的不是被解职军官的怨恨，而是一个解读了若干信号并在离场前做出的警告。
（图：Alla和我在乌克兰扎波罗热巴拉比涅报道，头顶为反无人机网 —— 版权所有，Giorgio Provinciali）
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