Trump's Actions Pose a Risk to Civilized Society.
The domestic and foreign initiatives – ranging from the challenge to the democratic process in the past to latest actions and warnings – erode both national and global jurisprudence. But that’s not all.
They jeopardize the fundamental meaning of what we mean by.
The guiding principle of a functioning society is to forestall the stronger from attacking and exploiting the vulnerable. Without this, we could find ourselves trapped in a state of nature where survival of the strongest could survive.
This ideal lies at the center of America’s founding documents. It is equally the foundation of the postwar international order championed by the US, which stresses international cooperation, democracy, individual liberties, and the rule of law.
However, it is a vulnerable ideal, often broken by those who would exploit their authority. Maintaining it necessitates that the influential have a sense of duty to avoid seeking immediate gains, and that the public demand responsibility if they don't.
Absolute power does not equal right. It makes for uncertainty, upheaval, and hostilities.
Whenever entities that are richer and more powerful attack and exploit those that are not, the framework of our shared norms frays. If these actions are left unchecked, the fabric unravels. Without intervention, the world can descend into instability and violence. It has happened before.
Our current reality is a society and world marked by extreme inequality. Political and economic power are increasingly centralized than ever before. This invites the powerful to take advantage of the weaker because they act with a sense of above the law.
The resources of certain ultra-wealthy individuals is difficult to fathom. The reach of global industrial giants covers a vast portion of the world. AI is could centralize economic and political clout even more. The destructive power of the world's largest nations is unprecedented in the annals of time.
Supported by complicit legislators and a sympathetic high court, the presidency has been made into the most dominant and unchecked agent of government in the modern era.
Put it all together and you perceive the danger.
An unbroken thread ties earlier lawless actions to current provocations. Each were premised on the arrogance of absolute power.
There is parallel dynamics in the actions of other powers: in military conflicts, in expansive ambitions, and in the worldwide exploitation by massive conglomerates.
Yet, strength without restraint does not create right. It fosters fragility, revolution, and war.
Historical evidence demonstrates that laws and norms to limit the influential also safeguard them. Absent these limits, their insatiable demands for increased control and resources in time cause their collapse – and with them their enterprises, countries, or domains. And threaten global conflict.
Such lawlessness will haunt America and the global community – and indeed civilization – for the foreseeable future.
