Trump's Actions Present a Threat to Civilized Society.
The internal and external policies – including the challenge to the democratic process in the past to latest actions and threats – weaken both domestic and international law. But that’s not all.
They endanger the very concept of civilization itself.
The guiding principle of a functioning society is to prevent the stronger from preying upon and using the weaker. Failing that, we would be trapped in a brutish war where only the fittest wins.
This ideal is central of the Declaration and Constitution. It is equally the core of the postwar international order championed by the America, built on multilateralism, democracy, individual liberties, and the rule of law.
But, it is a vulnerable principle, frequently ignored by those who choose to misuse their authority. Preserving it necessitates that the those in charge have a sense of duty to refrain from seeking immediate gains, and that society ensure they answer for their actions when they fail.
Unchecked strength does not equal right. It results in turmoil, upheaval, and war.
Every time entities that are richer and more powerful attack and exploit those that are not, the fabric of society weakens. Should such behavior are allowed to continue, the fabric unravels. Allowing it to persist, the world can fall into chaos and war. We have seen this pattern previously.
We now inhabit a international landscape marked by extreme inequality. Authority and resources are held by fewer hands than in recent memory. This creates conditions for the elite to exploit the less fortunate because they feel omnipotent.
The wealth of a handful of ultra-wealthy individuals is almost beyond comprehension. The power of global industrial giants spans a vast portion of the world. AI is poised to further concentrate economic and political clout even more. The offensive capability of the leading countries is without parallel in human history.
Empowered by complicit legislators and a pliant supreme court, the highest office has been turned into the most dominant and unchecked agent of government in recent memory.
Consider this confluence and you perceive the threat.
A clear connection ties earlier transgressions to present-day threats. These were founded upon the hubris of invincibility.
You see parallel dynamics in other global contexts: in territorial invasions, in coercive diplomacy, and in the worldwide exploitation by industrial titans.
Yet, unfettered might does not make right. It fosters fragility, upheaval, and bloodshed.
The lessons of the past reveal that frameworks designed to constrain the powerful also protect them. Without such constraints, their endless appetite for more power and wealth eventually cause their collapse – taking down their enterprises, countries, or domains. And pave the way for world war.
This blatant contempt for legal order will cast a long shadow over international stability – and indeed civilization – for years to come.
