Trump's Actions Present a Danger to Civilized Society.
His domestic and foreign policies – from the challenge to the democratic process five years ago to recent moves and threats – erode both national and global jurisprudence. The implications are broader.
These actions endanger the core idea of civilization itself.
The moral purpose of civilized society is to forestall the dominant from preying upon and using the vulnerable. Without this, we could find ourselves trapped in a conflict of all against all where survival of the strongest prevails.
This concept is central of America’s founding documents. It is equally the core of the postwar international order supported by the US, which stresses multilateralism, democracy, individual liberties, and the rule of law.
But, it is a delicate principle, easily violated by those who choose to misuse their authority. Maintaining it necessitates that the powerful have enough integrity to abstain from seeking short-term wins, and that the public hold them accountable when they fail.
Absolute power is not right. It leads to uncertainty, disruption, and conflict.
Whenever entities that are richer and more powerful target and use those that are weaker, the fabric of our shared norms weakens. If such aggression are left unchecked, the structure collapses. Without intervention, the world can plunge into instability and violence. It has happened before.
Today, we live in a society and world marked by extreme inequality. Influence and wealth are increasingly centralized than ever before. This encourages the powerful to leverage their position against the weaker because they feel above the law.
The wealth of a handful of ultra-wealthy individuals is difficult to fathom. The power of major corporations in technology, energy, and aerospace extends over a vast portion of the world. Advanced technology is could consolidate resources and influence further. The destructive power of the major powers is unmatched in human history.
Empowered by complicit legislators and an accommodating high court, the presidency has been transformed into the most powerful and unaccountable agent of the state in history.
Combine these factors and you grasp the danger.
A clear connection connects previous lawless actions to present-day provocations. Each were based on the arrogance of invincibility.
There is much the same in other global contexts: in wars of aggression, in strategic threats, and in the worldwide exploitation by powerful corporate entities.
But, strength without restraint does not establish right. It produces instability, upended order, and armed conflict.
The lessons of the past reveal that frameworks designed to limit the influential also protect them. Without such constraints, their endless appetite for more power and wealth eventually cause their collapse – taking down their corporations, nations, or empires. And threaten international catastrophe.
This kind of lawlessness will cast a long shadow over the nation and the world – and the very idea of a rules-based order – for the foreseeable future.
