Trump's Policies Present a Risk to Civilized Society.
The national and international initiatives – from the challenge to the democratic process previously to recent incursions and threats – undermine both national and global jurisprudence. However, the issue goes deeper.
They threaten the very concept of civilization itself.
The ethical foundation of a functioning society is to stop the stronger from attacking and exploiting the weaker. Failing that, we could find ourselves trapped in a state of nature where survival of the strongest wins.
This concept lies at the center of America’s founding documents. This is also the foundation of the modern framework of international relations championed by the US, emphasizing multilateralism, popular sovereignty, human rights, and the legal authority.
But, it is a vulnerable principle, often broken by those who choose to misuse their power. Preserving it demands that the influential have enough integrity to avoid seeking short-term wins, and that society ensure they answer for their actions should they falter.
Unfettered might does not equal right. It leads to uncertainty, chaos, and war.
Each instance entities that are richer and more powerful attack and exploit those that are weaker, the structure of society frays. If these actions are left unchecked, the system fails. Allowing it to persist, the world can fall into instability and violence. We have seen this pattern previously.
Today, we live in a society and world marked by extreme inequality. Political and economic power are increasingly centralized than ever before. This invites the elite to leverage their position against the weaker because they act with a sense of omnipotent.
The resources of a small group of ultra-wealthy individuals is almost beyond comprehension. The reach of global industrial giants spans a vast portion of the world. Advanced technology is poised to consolidate wealth and power to a greater degree. The military might of the leading countries is unmatched in human history.
Empowered by a compliant faction and a pliant supreme court, the highest office has been turned into the supreme and answerable-to-none entity of government in history.
Put it all together and you perceive the danger.
An unbroken thread connects previous transgressions to present-day provocations. These were premised on the overconfidence of absolute power.
One observes a similar pattern in other global contexts: in territorial invasions, in strategic threats, and in the worldwide exploitation by powerful corporate entities.
However, unfettered might does not establish right. It makes for uncertainty, revolution, and bloodshed.
Historical evidence demonstrates that laws and norms to constrain the influential also protect them. If these guardrails are removed, their insatiable demands for increased control and resources in time bring them down – and with them their corporations, nations, or empires. And risk international catastrophe.
This kind of disregard for rules will plague America and the global community – and indeed a rules-based order – for years to come.
