THE AMERICAN POSEIDON ADVENTURE

The Right Honourable Sir Keir Starmer MP
Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
10 Downing Street
London SW1A 2AA
United Kingdom

Dear Prime Minister,

I write to you as an American embarrassed and apologetic for the boorish, ungrateful, and uncouth behavior of our president. The remarks he made that sullied the heroic and honorable service of British forces in Afghanistan were unforgivable, particularly when uttered by a man who never served in the U.S. military and actively avoided his own obligation to do so. Those remarks were not merely offensive; they were dishonest and profoundly unrepresentative of the respect the vast majority of Americans hold for the United Kingdom.

Sadly, our electoral system has elevated a man ill-suited to leadership, one who neither understands nor values enduring friendship or alliance. His record, both public and private, reveals a consistent pattern of self-inflicted failure: businesses squandered, relationships poisoned, and opportunities repeatedly lost by his own hand. He has mastered not the art of leadership, but the art of destruction. A talent requiring neither maturity, judgment, emotional intelligence, nor restraint. Instead, he reacts petulantly, alienating allies in pursuit of personal validation, prestige, and power. Beneath the surface bravado lies an emptiness that seeks fulfillment through diminishing others, a corrosive impulse familiar in all forms of addiction.

At Davos, Prime Minister Carney spoke compellingly of the “power of the powerless.” His words resonated deeply. He described a rupture: that the old relationship of trust and confidence must, for now, be replaced with vigilance and a defensive posture. Regrettably, he is correct. This is the consequence of our collective failure at the ballot box. While it may be true that newer generations of Americans feel less viscerally connected to the sacrifices of World War II, the fundamental values that bind us, fairness, truth, freedom of thought and expression, remain deeply shared by the majority of our citizens.

For nearly 250 years, the United Kingdom has stood with us, and Americans have been proud of that bond. We should not allow this present malignancy to define or permanently damage it. I believe, as Mr. Carney suggested, that the collective strength of democratic “middle powers” offers a viable path to global stability. The United States needs Europe, and most Americans want that partnership to endure. In this moment, we may even depend on you to provide principled resistance to an egomaniacal bully while we work to reclaim our democratic footing.

Give us time. If we fail to correct course in 2026 and 2028, the future will speak for itself. But know this: many Americans remain steadfast in their commitment to our alliances, our values, and the rule of law.

Yours sincerely,

Robert Detor