The Former President's Actions Pose a Threat to Civilized Society.
The internal and external strategies – from the attempted coup five years ago to recent actions and warnings – weaken not only domestic and international law. But that’s not all.
These actions jeopardize the very concept of a civilized world.
The ethical foundation of a functioning society is to forestall the stronger from attacking and exploiting the less powerful. Without this, we risk being permanently immersed in a state of nature where survival of the strongest could survive.
This ideal is embedded of America’s founding documents. It’s also the core of the global system established after WWII championed by the United States, built on collective action, popular sovereignty, fundamental freedoms, and the rule of law.
Yet, it is a fragile construct, easily violated by those who would exploit their authority. Preserving it necessitates that the powerful have a sense of duty to refrain from seeking immediate gains, and that the rest of us ensure they answer for their actions should they falter.
Absolute power does not equal right. It makes for turmoil, upheaval, and war.
Each instance people or corporations or countries that are richer and more powerful attack and exploit those that are less so, the structure of society frays. Should such behavior are allowed to continue, the system fails. Allowing it to persist, the world can fall into instability and violence. History provides ample precedent.
Today, we live in a international landscape marked by extreme inequality. Influence and wealth are held by fewer hands than in modern history. This encourages the powerful to exploit the disadvantaged because they feel untouchable.
The wealth of certain ultra-wealthy individuals is staggering. The reach of major corporations in technology, energy, and aerospace covers a vast portion of the world. AI is could further concentrate resources and influence to a greater degree. The military might of the leading countries is unprecedented in the annals of time.
Enabled by complicit legislators and a sympathetic high court, the presidency has been turned into the most dominant and unchecked agent of government in recent memory.
Put it all together and you perceive the looming crisis.
A clear connection connects past transgressions to present-day provocations. These were premised on the overconfidence of invincibility.
One observes a similar pattern 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 make right. It fosters instability, revolution, and armed conflict.
History shows that rules and conventions to check the powerful also safeguard them. Absent these limits, their endless appetite for increased control and resources ultimately lead to their downfall – taking down their corporations, nations, or empires. And threaten world war.
Such disregard for rules will cast a long shadow over the nation and the world – and the very idea of a rules-based order – for years to come.
