Trump's Policies Pose a Threat to Civilized Society.
The internal and external policies – from the attempted coup in the past to current incursions and threats – weaken both domestic and international legal frameworks. However, the issue goes deeper.
These actions jeopardize the fundamental meaning of civilization itself.
A guiding principle of any advanced culture is to prevent the more powerful from preying upon and using the weaker. Otherwise, we risk being trapped in a brutish war where might makes right could survive.
This principle lies at the center of America’s founding documents. It’s also the foundation of the postwar international order championed by the United States, emphasizing international cooperation, democratic governance, individual liberties, and the rule of law.
But, it is a fragile principle, easily violated by those who seek to abuse their power. Upholding it necessitates that the those in charge have the moral fortitude to avoid seeking immediate gains, and that the rest of us ensure they answer for their actions if they don't.
Absolute power does not make right. It results in instability, upheaval, and hostilities.
Whenever entities that are richer and more powerful prey upon those that are not, the framework of civilization weakens. If these actions are not contained, the structure collapses. Allowing it to persist, the world can fall into instability and violence. We have seen this pattern previously.
Our current reality is a society and world grown vastly more unequal. Influence and wealth are held by fewer hands than in recent memory. This creates conditions for the privileged to take advantage of the less fortunate because they perceive themselves as untouchable.
The wealth of a small group of tycoons is staggering. The influence of big tech, big oil, and large defense contractors covers much of the globe. Artificial intelligence is likely to further concentrate wealth and power even more. The offensive capability of the leading countries is without parallel in the annals of time.
Enabled by political allies and a pliant supreme court, the highest office has been turned into the most powerful and unaccountable entity of the state in history.
Consider this confluence and you grasp the threat.
An unbroken thread links previous transgressions to current menaces. Both were founded upon the hubris of omnipotence.
You see much the same in international affairs: in wars of aggression, in expansive ambitions, and in the worldwide exploitation by massive conglomerates.
But, raw power does not establish right. It fosters fragility, upheaval, and bloodshed.
History shows that laws and norms to limit the powerful also safeguard them. If these guardrails are removed, their relentless pursuit for increased control and resources in time cause their collapse – along with their corporations, nations, or empires. And threaten world war.
This blatant contempt for legal order will cast a long shadow over the nation and the world – and indeed civilized conduct – for years to come.
