Trump's Actions Present a Risk to Our Social Fabric.
His national and international policies – including the effort to overturn the election five years ago to current incursions and warnings – erode both domestic and international law. However, the issue goes deeper.
They jeopardize the core idea of a civilized world.
The moral purpose of civilized society is to prevent the dominant from harming and taking advantage of the vulnerable. Without this, we risk being locked in a conflict of all against all where only the fittest wins.
This principle is central of the nation's founding texts. It’s also the foundation of the modern framework of international relations advocated by the United States, built on international cooperation, democracy, human rights, and the legal authority.
But, it is a delicate ideal, frequently ignored by those who seek to abuse their authority. Preserving it requires that the those in charge have the moral fortitude to abstain from seeking short-term wins, and that the rest of us demand responsibility if they don't.
Unchecked strength is not right. It makes for uncertainty, disruption, and conflict.
Every time entities that are advantaged attack and exploit those that are less so, the fabric of civilization unravels. If these actions are allowed to continue, the system fails. If not stopped, the world can descend into chaos and war. History provides ample precedent.
Our current reality is a society and world with deepening divides. Influence and wealth are more concentrated than in recent memory. This encourages the elite to take advantage of the less fortunate because they act with a sense of above the law.
The fortunes of certain tycoons is almost beyond comprehension. The reach of global industrial giants covers a vast portion of the world. Advanced technology is likely to further concentrate resources and influence even more. The offensive capability of the world's largest nations is without parallel in recorded history.
Empowered by complicit legislators and an accommodating judicial body, the executive office has been turned into the most dominant and unchecked instrument of state power in the modern era.
Put it all together and you see the danger.
A direct line ties past transgressions to ongoing provocations. Both were founded upon the hubris of omnipotence.
You see a similar pattern in other global contexts: in wars of aggression, in coercive diplomacy, and in the global depredation by powerful corporate entities.
But, strength without restraint does not make right. It produces fragility, upended order, and armed conflict.
History shows that frameworks designed to constrain the powerful also protect them. Without such constraints, their relentless pursuit for increased control and resources in time cause their collapse – and with them their enterprises, countries, or domains. And pave the way for global conflict.
This kind of disregard for rules will cast a long shadow over America and the global community – and the very idea of civilized conduct – for years to come.
