Trump's Actions Present a Threat to Civilization.
The internal and external initiatives – from the challenge to the democratic process five years ago to recent moves and statements – undermine not only domestic and international legal frameworks. However, the issue goes deeper.
They jeopardize the fundamental meaning of what we mean by.
A guiding principle of a functioning society is to prevent the stronger from harming and taking advantage of the weaker. Failing that, we would be permanently immersed in a state of nature where might makes right wins.
This concept lies at the center of America’s founding documents. It is equally the heart of the postwar international order supported by the United States, built on collective action, democratic governance, human rights, and the rule of law.
But, it is a fragile ideal, easily violated by those who choose to misuse their influence. Preserving it demands that the influential have enough integrity to refrain from seeking temporary advantages, and that the rest of us demand responsibility when they fail.
Unfettered might does not equal right. It leads to uncertainty, disruption, and hostilities.
Every time people or corporations or countries that are advantaged attack and exploit those that are less so, the fabric of society unravels. Should such behavior are allowed to continue, the structure collapses. Allowing it to persist, the world can fall into chaos and war. History provides ample precedent.
Our current reality is a international landscape marked by extreme inequality. Influence and wealth are held by fewer hands than in modern history. This encourages the powerful to exploit the less fortunate because they feel above the law.
The fortunes of a small group of tycoons is staggering. The power of major corporations in technology, energy, and aerospace covers much of the globe. AI is could further concentrate wealth and power to a greater degree. The offensive capability of the major powers is unmatched in recorded history.
Enabled by a compliant faction and an accommodating judicial body, the presidency has been made into the most dominant and unchecked agent of government in history.
Consider this confluence and you see the threat.
A direct line connects previous lawless actions to current provocations. These were based on the hubris of invincibility.
There is parallel dynamics in the actions of other powers: in wars of aggression, in coercive diplomacy, and in the global depredation by industrial titans.
But, raw power does not create right. It produces instability, upheaval, and armed conflict.
The lessons of the past reveal that laws and norms to limit the influential also shield them. If these guardrails are removed, their endless appetite for increased control and resources eventually bring them down – taking down their corporations, nations, or empires. And threaten global conflict.
This kind of contempt for legal order will plague America and the global community – and indeed a rules-based order – for years to come.
