The Former President's Approach Present a Risk to Civilized Society.
His internal and external policies – from the challenge to the democratic process previously to latest incursions and warnings – undermine both domestic and international law. The implications are broader.
They jeopardize the core idea of civilization itself.
A guiding principle of civilized society is to forestall the stronger from attacking and exploiting the weaker. Without this, we would be permanently immersed in a state of nature where only the fittest wins.
This concept lies at the center of the nation's founding texts. It’s also the foundation of the postwar international order championed by the United States, which stresses international cooperation, popular sovereignty, human rights, and the legal authority.
Yet, it is a vulnerable principle, frequently ignored by those who choose to misuse their influence. Upholding it requires that the influential have the moral fortitude to avoid seeking immediate gains, and that society ensure they answer for their actions when they fail.
Absolute power does not make right. It makes for uncertainty, chaos, and conflict.
Every time individuals, companies, or nations that are richer and more powerful target and use those that are less so, the structure of our shared norms frays. If these actions are allowed to continue, the structure collapses. If not stopped, the world can plunge into disorder and conflict. It has happened before.
We now inhabit a international landscape with deepening divides. Influence and wealth are increasingly centralized than in modern history. This invites the powerful to take advantage of the disadvantaged because they perceive themselves as omnipotent.
The fortunes of a handful of billionaires is almost beyond comprehension. The influence of big tech, big oil, and large defense contractors covers numerous countries. Advanced technology is poised to consolidate economic and political clout even more. The offensive capability of the leading countries is unmatched in recorded history.
Supported by political allies and an accommodating high court, the presidency has been made into the supreme and answerable-to-none instrument of state power in recent memory.
Combine these factors and you see the threat.
A clear connection ties past transgressions to present-day threats. Each were founded upon the hubris of absolute power.
You see a similar pattern in other global contexts: in military conflicts, in expansive ambitions, and in the worldwide exploitation by massive conglomerates.
Yet, strength without restraint does not establish right. It produces instability, upheaval, and armed conflict.
Historical evidence demonstrates that rules and conventions to check the powerful also protect them. If these guardrails are removed, their endless appetite for increased control and resources in time bring them down – taking down their corporations, nations, or empires. And pave the way for global conflict.
This kind of lawlessness will haunt international stability – and indeed civilized conduct – for years to come.
