Trump's Approach Pose a Threat to Civilized Society.
The internal and external policies – from the challenge to the democratic process in the past to recent actions and threats – erode not only national and global jurisprudence. But that’s not all.
They threaten the very concept of what we mean by.
A ethical foundation of civilized society is to forestall the more powerful from attacking and exploiting the vulnerable. Failing that, we risk being locked in a conflict of all against all where survival of the strongest could survive.
This ideal lies at the center of the nation's founding texts. It’s also the heart of the modern framework of international relations supported by the United States, built on international cooperation, democratic governance, fundamental freedoms, and the rule of law.
But, it is a fragile principle, often broken by those who would exploit their power. Upholding it demands that the those in charge have enough integrity to refrain from seeking temporary advantages, and that the rest of us demand responsibility should they falter.
Unchecked strength does not equal right. It results in turmoil, chaos, and hostilities.
Every time entities that are wealthier and stronger target and use those that are less so, the structure of civilization frays. If these actions are left unchecked, the system fails. Without intervention, the world can descend into chaos and war. History provides ample precedent.
We now inhabit a society and world marked by extreme inequality. Authority and resources are held by fewer hands than in modern history. This encourages the elite to leverage their position against the less fortunate because they perceive themselves as above the law.
The resources of certain tycoons is staggering. The power of big tech, big oil, and large defense contractors covers numerous countries. Advanced technology is could consolidate economic and political clout to a greater degree. The offensive capability of the major powers is unmatched in recorded history.
Supported by a compliant faction and an accommodating high court, the highest office has been made into the supreme and answerable-to-none entity of state power in history.
Put it all together and you see the danger.
A clear connection connects previous transgressions to current threats. Both were founded upon the overconfidence of absolute power.
There is parallel dynamics in other global contexts: in territorial invasions, in coercive diplomacy, and in the worldwide exploitation by industrial titans.
But, raw power does not create right. It makes for uncertainty, revolution, and bloodshed.
The lessons of the past reveal that rules and conventions to constrain the influential also safeguard them. Absent these limits, their endless appetite for more power and wealth eventually lead to their downfall – and with them their corporations, nations, or empires. And pave the way for international catastrophe.
This kind of lawlessness will cast a long shadow over international stability – and the very idea of civilized conduct – for years to come.
