Donald Trump's Approach Pose a Threat to Civilized Society.
The national and international policies – ranging from the effort to overturn the election five years ago to latest incursions and threats – erode not only domestic and international law. The implications are broader.
These actions endanger the fundamental meaning of a civilized world.
The guiding principle of civilized society is to prevent the dominant from preying upon and using the vulnerable. Failing that, we risk being permanently immersed in a brutish war where survival of the strongest prevails.
This concept is central of America’s founding documents. This is also the heart of the modern framework of international relations supported by the America, emphasizing collective action, democratic governance, individual liberties, and the rule of law.
However, it is a delicate construct, frequently ignored by those who seek to abuse their power. Upholding it demands that the powerful have a sense of duty to abstain from seeking immediate gains, and that the public ensure they answer for their actions should they falter.
Unfettered might does not equal right. It makes for uncertainty, disruption, and hostilities.
Each instance individuals, companies, or nations that are wealthier and stronger target and use those that are less so, the structure of our shared norms frays. If these actions are left unchecked, the system fails. Without intervention, the world can fall into disorder and conflict. We have seen this pattern previously.
We now inhabit a global community grown vastly more unequal. Political and economic power are increasingly centralized than ever before. This creates conditions for the elite to take advantage of the weaker because they perceive themselves as untouchable.
The fortunes of a small group of ultra-wealthy individuals is almost beyond comprehension. The power of major corporations in technology, energy, and aerospace extends over much of the globe. Advanced technology is likely to centralize resources and influence further. The offensive capability of the major powers is unprecedented in the annals of time.
Supported by complicit legislators and an accommodating judicial body, the presidency has been turned into the most dominant and unchecked agent of state power in history.
Put it all together and you see the danger.
An unbroken thread connects previous breaches of norms to ongoing menaces. Both were founded upon the overconfidence of absolute power.
One observes parallel dynamics in the actions of other powers: in territorial invasions, in strategic threats, and in the worldwide exploitation by massive conglomerates.
However, raw power does not create right. It fosters instability, upended order, and armed conflict.
The lessons of the past reveal that laws and norms to check the powerful also shield them. If these guardrails are removed, their relentless pursuit for more power and wealth eventually lead to their downfall – along with their enterprises, countries, or domains. And risk global conflict.
This blatant contempt for legal order will plague America and the global community – and the very idea of civilization – for years to come.
