The Former President's Policies Present a Danger to Our Social Fabric.
His domestic and foreign initiatives – from the attempted coup previously to latest actions and warnings – weaken not only domestic and international jurisprudence. The implications are broader.
They jeopardize the core idea of a civilized world.
A moral purpose of a functioning society is to forestall the more powerful from preying upon and using the vulnerable. Otherwise, we would be trapped in a conflict of all against all where only the fittest wins.
This ideal is embedded of the Declaration and Constitution. This is also the heart of the global system established after WWII championed by the United States, emphasizing collective action, popular sovereignty, individual liberties, and the supremacy of law.
Yet, it is a vulnerable construct, easily violated by those who would exploit their influence. Upholding it demands that the those in charge have enough integrity to abstain from seeking temporary advantages, and that society ensure they answer for their actions when they fail.
Absolute power does not make right. It leads to turmoil, disruption, and conflict.
Each instance individuals, companies, or nations that are richer and more powerful target and use those that are not, the structure of our shared norms unravels. If such aggression are allowed to continue, the structure collapses. If not stopped, the world can plunge into chaos and war. We have seen this pattern previously.
Our current reality is a international landscape marked by extreme inequality. Political and economic power are more concentrated than ever before. This invites the elite to leverage their position against the less fortunate because they feel above the law.
The fortunes of a small group of ultra-wealthy individuals is difficult to fathom. The influence of global industrial giants spans numerous countries. Advanced technology is poised to centralize resources and influence further. The offensive capability of the major powers is without parallel in the annals of time.
Supported by political allies and a pliant judicial body, the presidency has been made into the supreme and answerable-to-none entity of government in history.
Combine these factors and you grasp the danger.
An unbroken thread ties earlier transgressions to present-day provocations. Both were premised on the hubris of omnipotence.
One observes much the same in other global contexts: in wars of aggression, in strategic threats, and in the worldwide exploitation by powerful corporate entities.
Yet, raw power does not make right. It fosters uncertainty, revolution, and bloodshed.
Historical evidence demonstrates that rules and conventions to limit the influential also safeguard them. Without such constraints, their insatiable demands for more power and wealth in time lead to their downfall – and with them their corporations, nations, or empires. And pave the way for global conflict.
This kind of lawlessness will haunt international stability – and indeed civilization – for the foreseeable future.
