The Former President's Approach Present a Threat to Civilization.
His internal and external strategies – from the attempted coup five years ago to recent actions and statements – undermine both domestic and international legal frameworks. The implications are broader.
They threaten the core idea of civilization itself.
The ethical foundation of any advanced culture is to stop the more powerful from harming and taking advantage of the weaker. Failing that, we risk being trapped in a state of nature where only the fittest prevails.
This principle lies at the center of America’s founding documents. This is also the core of the global system established after WWII supported by the America, built on international cooperation, democratic governance, fundamental freedoms, and the supremacy of law.
Yet, it is a delicate principle, frequently ignored by those who would exploit their power. Upholding it necessitates that the those in charge have a sense of duty to abstain from seeking temporary advantages, and that society hold them accountable when they fail.
Absolute power does not equal right. It leads to uncertainty, chaos, and war.
Every time entities that are advantaged attack and exploit those that are not, the structure of our shared norms frays. Should such behavior are allowed to continue, the system fails. Allowing it to persist, the world can plunge into instability and violence. History provides ample precedent.
We now inhabit a global community with deepening divides. Authority and resources are increasingly centralized than in modern history. This creates conditions for the privileged to take advantage of the weaker because they perceive themselves as omnipotent.
The resources of a small group of billionaires is staggering. The power of big tech, big oil, and large defense contractors covers a vast portion of the world. Advanced technology is could further concentrate resources and influence further. The offensive capability of the world's largest nations is unprecedented in recorded history.
Supported by a compliant faction and a pliant high court, the presidency has been turned into the most dominant and unchecked agent of government in history.
Combine these factors and you grasp the threat.
A direct line connects previous transgressions to ongoing provocations. Both were founded upon the arrogance of invincibility.
There is a similar pattern in the actions of other powers: in territorial invasions, in expansive ambitions, and in the rampant monopolization by massive conglomerates.
Yet, strength without restraint does not establish right. It produces fragility, revolution, and armed conflict.
The lessons of the past reveal that rules and conventions to constrain the influential also shield them. Without such constraints, their endless appetite for more power and wealth eventually lead to their downfall – and with them their corporations, nations, or empires. And risk global conflict.
Such lawlessness will haunt the nation and the world – and the very idea of civilization – for years to come.
