Trump's Policies Present a Danger to Civilization.
His domestic and foreign policies – including the effort to overturn the election previously to recent moves and threats – erode not only national and global jurisprudence. The implications are broader.
They jeopardize the fundamental meaning of a civilized world.
A moral purpose of civilized society is to forestall the more powerful from harming and taking advantage of the less powerful. Without this, we would be trapped in a state of nature where only the fittest could survive.
This ideal is embedded of the nation's founding texts. It’s also the foundation of the global system established after WWII advocated by the America, which stresses multilateralism, democratic governance, individual liberties, and the rule of law.
However, it is a delicate ideal, frequently ignored by those who would exploit their influence. Upholding it demands that the those in charge have a sense of duty to refrain from seeking temporary advantages, and that the rest of us demand responsibility should they falter.
Unfettered might does not equal right. It makes for turmoil, disruption, and conflict.
Each instance people or corporations or countries that are richer and more powerful target and use those that are not, the structure of society frays. Should such behavior are not contained, the structure collapses. Without intervention, the world can fall into disorder and conflict. It has happened before.
Today, we live in a society and world marked by extreme inequality. Political and economic power are increasingly centralized than ever before. This creates conditions for the elite to leverage their position against the disadvantaged because they feel untouchable.
The fortunes of a handful of tycoons is almost beyond comprehension. The influence of global industrial giants spans much of the globe. Advanced technology is poised to further concentrate wealth and power to a greater degree. The military might of the major powers is unmatched in recorded history.
Empowered by political allies and a sympathetic high court, the presidency has been made into the supreme and answerable-to-none agent of the state in history.
Put it all together and you see the threat.
A direct line connects previous transgressions to current threats. Both were based on the hubris of absolute power.
There is parallel dynamics in international affairs: in territorial invasions, in expansive ambitions, and in the worldwide exploitation by powerful corporate entities.
Yet, strength without restraint does not establish right. It makes for fragility, upended order, and bloodshed.
Historical evidence demonstrates that laws and norms to constrain the influential also safeguard them. If these guardrails are removed, their relentless pursuit for more power and wealth in time bring them down – and with them their corporations, nations, or empires. And threaten world war.
This blatant disregard for rules will haunt international stability – and indeed civilization – for a long time.
