Trump's Approach Present a Threat to Our Social Fabric.
The internal and external initiatives – including the effort to overturn the election in the past to current moves and warnings – erode not only national and global law. But that’s not all.
They threaten the fundamental meaning of civilization itself.
The guiding principle of civilized society is to prevent the more powerful from harming and taking advantage of the vulnerable. Without this, we would be locked in a conflict of all against all where only the fittest could survive.
This concept lies at the center of America’s founding documents. It is equally the heart of the modern framework of international relations supported by the US, which stresses international cooperation, democratic governance, individual liberties, and the rule of law.
But, it is a delicate construct, often broken by those who would exploit their power. Preserving it demands that the those in charge have the moral fortitude to avoid seeking immediate gains, and that the public demand responsibility when they fail.
Unfettered might is not right. It leads to turmoil, chaos, and conflict.
Every time individuals, companies, or nations that are advantaged prey upon those that are less so, the structure of civilization frays. If such aggression are not contained, the system fails. Without intervention, the world can fall into instability and violence. We have seen this pattern previously.
We now inhabit a society and world marked by extreme inequality. Authority and resources are held by fewer hands than in modern history. This encourages the privileged to exploit the less fortunate because they feel omnipotent.
The wealth of a handful of tycoons is staggering. The power of big tech, big oil, and large defense contractors extends over numerous countries. Advanced technology is poised to centralize economic and political clout further. The military might of the leading countries is without parallel in the annals of time.
Empowered by political allies and an accommodating judicial body, the executive office has been transformed into the supreme and answerable-to-none instrument of the state in the modern era.
Put it all together and you see the threat.
An unbroken thread connects earlier breaches of norms to present-day provocations. Both were founded upon the hubris of invincibility.
One observes much the same in the actions of other powers: in military conflicts, in expansive ambitions, and in the worldwide exploitation by industrial titans.
However, strength without restraint does not create right. It fosters uncertainty, upheaval, and armed conflict.
Historical evidence demonstrates that laws and norms to constrain the influential also shield them. Without such constraints, their relentless pursuit for greater influence and riches ultimately cause their collapse – and with them their enterprises, countries, or domains. And threaten global conflict.
This kind of contempt for legal order will cast a long shadow over America and the global community – and indeed civilized conduct – for a long time.
