Trump's Policies Pose a Risk to Civilization.
The national and international policies – from the challenge to the democratic process five years ago to latest moves and warnings – weaken both domestic and international legal frameworks. But that’s not all.
They threaten the fundamental meaning of civilization itself.
A moral purpose of a functioning society is to forestall the dominant from harming and taking advantage of the vulnerable. Otherwise, we would be trapped in a state of nature where only the fittest prevails.
This ideal is central of America’s founding documents. It is equally the foundation of the postwar international order supported by the United States, emphasizing international cooperation, democracy, individual liberties, and the rule of law.
But, it is a fragile principle, frequently ignored by those who seek to abuse their authority. Maintaining it necessitates that the those in charge have the moral fortitude to avoid seeking temporary advantages, and that the rest of us demand responsibility should they falter.
Absolute power does not make right. It leads to turmoil, upheaval, and war.
Whenever people or corporations or countries that are advantaged attack and exploit those that are weaker, the fabric of civilization unravels. If these actions are allowed to continue, the system fails. Without intervention, the world can plunge into instability and violence. It has happened before.
Today, we live in a international landscape with deepening divides. Authority and resources are more concentrated than in recent memory. This encourages the powerful to exploit the weaker because they perceive themselves as omnipotent.
The resources of certain billionaires is difficult to fathom. The reach of big tech, big oil, and large defense contractors covers numerous countries. AI is poised to further concentrate wealth and power to a greater degree. The destructive power of the major powers is without parallel in human history.
Empowered by a compliant faction and a sympathetic judicial body, the executive office has been transformed into the most dominant and unchecked instrument of the state in history.
Put it all together and you see the looming crisis.
A clear connection links previous lawless actions to ongoing provocations. These were premised on the arrogance of omnipotence.
There is much the same in the actions of other powers: in military conflicts, in strategic threats, and in the global depredation by massive conglomerates.
However, strength without restraint does not create right. It fosters instability, revolution, and armed conflict.
History shows that rules and conventions to check the powerful also shield them. Absent these limits, their endless appetite for more power and wealth ultimately cause their collapse – along with their enterprises, countries, or domains. And threaten international catastrophe.
This kind of contempt for legal order will haunt the nation and the world – and indeed a rules-based order – for a long time.
