The domestic and foreign policies – including the effort to overturn the election previously to current moves and warnings – undermine both national and global jurisprudence. But that’s not all.
They jeopardize the very concept of civilization itself.
A guiding principle of a functioning society is to stop the more powerful from preying upon and using the weaker. Otherwise, we risk being trapped in a brutish war where only the fittest wins.
This principle is central of the Declaration and Constitution. It’s also the heart of the modern framework of international relations advocated by the United States, built on international cooperation, democratic governance, individual liberties, and the supremacy of law.
But, it is a fragile principle, easily violated by those who choose to misuse their power. Upholding it requires that the those in charge have enough integrity to refrain from seeking immediate gains, and that society hold them accountable should they falter.
Absolute power is not right. It makes for turmoil, upheaval, and conflict.
Every time entities that are advantaged attack and exploit those that are less so, the structure of our shared norms weakens. If these actions are not contained, the structure collapses. If not stopped, the world can fall into chaos and war. It has happened before.
Today, we live in a society and world marked by extreme inequality. Influence and wealth are held by fewer hands than ever before. This encourages the powerful to take advantage of the disadvantaged because they act with a sense of omnipotent.
The resources of a small group of ultra-wealthy individuals is difficult to fathom. The power of major corporations in technology, energy, and aerospace spans much of the globe. Artificial intelligence is likely to consolidate wealth and power further. The destructive power of the leading countries is without parallel in recorded history.
Enabled by political allies and a pliant high court, the executive office has been transformed into the most powerful and unaccountable entity of government in the modern era.
Put it all together and you perceive the threat.
A direct line ties earlier breaches of norms to ongoing provocations. Both were based on the arrogance of omnipotence.
One observes a similar pattern in other global contexts: in wars of aggression, in expansive ambitions, and in the rampant monopolization by powerful corporate entities.
But, strength without restraint does not establish right. It produces instability, revolution, and war.
The lessons of the past reveal that rules and conventions to constrain the influential also safeguard them. Without such constraints, their relentless pursuit for increased control and resources eventually lead to their downfall – taking down their corporations, nations, or empires. And pave the way for global conflict.
Such lawlessness will cast a long shadow over international stability – and the very idea of civilized conduct – for a long time.
