Trump's Policies Present a Threat to Our Social Fabric.
The national and international initiatives – ranging from the attempted coup in the past to latest moves and statements – undermine both domestic and international legal frameworks. But that’s not all.
They endanger the fundamental meaning of a civilized world.
The ethical foundation of any advanced culture is to forestall the more powerful from preying upon and using the less powerful. Otherwise, we would be trapped in a brutish war where only the fittest could survive.
This concept lies at the center of the nation's founding texts. This is also the core of the modern framework of international relations advocated by the America, built on multilateralism, popular sovereignty, human rights, and the rule of law.
However, it is a fragile construct, often broken by those who would exploit their power. Preserving it necessitates that the influential have a sense of duty to avoid seeking immediate gains, and that society hold them accountable should they falter.
Unchecked strength does not equal right. It results in turmoil, chaos, and war.
Whenever individuals, companies, or nations that are wealthier and stronger attack and exploit those that are less so, the fabric of society weakens. Should such behavior are allowed to continue, the system fails. If not stopped, the world can plunge into disorder and conflict. History provides ample precedent.
Our current reality is a society and world with deepening divides. Authority and resources are more concentrated than in modern history. This encourages the powerful to exploit the less fortunate because they feel untouchable.
The wealth of a small group of tycoons is almost beyond comprehension. The power of major corporations in technology, energy, and aerospace covers numerous countries. Artificial intelligence is likely to consolidate wealth and power further. The destructive power of the major powers is without parallel in recorded history.
Enabled by political allies and an accommodating supreme court, the executive office has been turned into the most powerful and unaccountable entity of government in history.
Combine these factors and you see the threat.
A direct line ties earlier transgressions to ongoing menaces. Each were based on the hubris of absolute power.
You see much the same in other global contexts: in military conflicts, in expansive ambitions, and in the rampant monopolization by massive conglomerates.
However, unfettered might does not make right. It fosters instability, upheaval, and armed conflict.
The lessons of the past reveal that frameworks designed to constrain the powerful also safeguard them. Absent these limits, their endless appetite for more power and wealth eventually bring them down – and with them their corporations, nations, or empires. And risk global conflict.
Such lawlessness will plague the nation and the world – and the very idea of civilization – for years to come.
