The System Failure That Triggered Multiple Disasters: Dictatorship

08/01/2021

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As the first-term spokesperson for the Disaster Platform, disasters are always on my agenda. Disasters can be broadly divided into two categories: natural disasters and man-made disasters. Perhaps even more dangerous than natural disasters like earthquakes, floods, storms, and pandemics are man-made disasters like war, forced migration, and climate change. There’s a system failure that exacerbates and accelerates these events: dictatorship.

History is full of stories of nations trying to rid themselves of dictatorial leaders. Last week, we witnessed one of the most striking of these. Trump, a subject of controversy since taking office, has polarized the American people in a way never seen before: those who say they will follow Trump no matter what, and those who hate him and want to get rid of him. There are those in between, but they are in the minority. Trump’s election loss and his decision to hand over the reins to Biden on 20 January brought the battle between the two to a head. The climax came recently when Trump supporters stormed the Capitol. You can watch the sequence of events in this video: https://www.instagram.com/tv/CJzvAcvsmv6/?igshid=1rftu61cxq5ng

Trump, who constantly emphasized that Biden won the election through fraud, incited his supporters to storm the Capitol, a bastion of American democracy, under the guise of a ‘revolution.’ American democracy, in its struggle for survival, survived this test relatively unscathed, with only a day of chaos, serious material damage, and the loss of five lives.

America perhaps overcame this problem in a single day; its democracy endured a severe test, and its system, built on solid foundations, managed to maintain itself. The wounds will heal quickly, and perhaps they will continue even stronger. They will take precautions against the possibility of such events occurring again. So, what will become of other countries governed by dictators or leaders with dictatorial tendencies?

We’ve started talking about Trump, who has dictatorial tendencies. Let’s continue with the disasters he has caused or is about to cause. Before delving into these topics, let’s consider the definition of a disaster: A natural, technological, or human-induced event that causes physical, economic, and social losses for all or certain segments of society, halts or interrupts normal life and human activities, and for which the affected society lacks the capacity to cope. A disaster is not an event itself, but its consequences. * You can apply these words to all dictators or leaders with dictatorial tendencies around the world:

1) War

Dictators create enemies to protect their own positions and attempt to instill in the public that fighting this enemy is only possible if they maintain their leadership. They try to boost their popularity. We’ve seen this rhetoric frequently during the Trump era. For example, in my opinion, portraying a country like North Korea as a major threat to the United States is a mockery of people’s intelligence. Similarly, Democratic Speaker of the House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi stated that she discussed with Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Mark Milley “the need to intercept the necessary codes to prevent an unstable President from engaging in military conflict and ordering a nuclear attack, and the measures that could be taken to do so” (see: https://www.forbes.com/sites/nicholasreimann/2020/09/09/trump-claims-to-have-built-a-new-secret-nuclear-weapons-system/?sh=6dde54ee1a1e ). Pelosi even went so far as to join those calling for Trump’s impeachment. I wonder if I’ve made myself clear.

2) Nuclear War

Because nuclear war is the most extreme form of warfare and so dangerous that it could even destroy humanity, I wanted to dedicate a separate topic to this topic. We’ve observed that Trump’s ever-changing mood and propensity for aggression have occasionally led to threats of nuclear war. In fact, you can read the news about Trump having a secret nuclear weapon built in the Pelosi article in Forbes above. This is such a significant issue that, after the events in Congress, Pelosi took action to prevent Trump from accessing nuclear weapons (see: https://www.bbc.com/turkce/haberler-dunya-55593463 ).

3) Civil War

The deep polarization in society has also fueled the threat of civil war. I’ll delve into more detail in the next article: the black-white conflict born of racism, the conflicts between liberals and conservatives, and the tensions between Trump supporters and those who hate him. All of these are factors that could trigger a potential civil war.

4) Collective and Systematic Racism

In my opinion, this problem, which is extremely primitive and still deeply affects societies in the 21^st century, has persisted in the US for centuries. Indeed, last year, with the George Floyd incident, this collective and systemic racism in America reached its peak, with millions taking to the streets in protest. I wrote about this issue in my article entitled The Never-Ending Plague in the Brain: Racism (see: https://www.serhansuzer.com/tr/beyinlerde-hic-bitmeyen-veba-irkcilik ). Trump has not only failed to calm these events but has also further inflamed them with his statements. He has even declared that he tacitly supports some radical groups that practice systematic racism. These irresponsible reactions of the US leader have increased friction, leading to deaths and endangering the lives of millions. Let’s not forget that these conflicts have put the lives of both Black and white people at risk, and the risk of a future civil war has increased.

Furthermore, the harsh measures taken by American security forces against peaceful protesters for “Black Lives Matter” and the tolerance shown to Trump supporters who came to protest the election and even went so far as to enter the Capitol building (some even took selfies) have been the subject of serious criticism. I would like to share a video criticizing this hypocrisy with you: https://www.instagram.com/tv/CJy-_dCsrJf/?igshid=vtuo68zd0bj7

Even Biden publicly criticized this issue and went even further, emphasizing the need to restructure the Department of Justice: https://www.instagram.com/tv/CJzhXP2AK4D/?igshid=1sk0kdzw064an . This double standard clearly demonstrates the dilemma facing the American State. Trump, instead of solving this problem, has exacerbated it.

5) Terrorist Attacks

While the Trump administration is attempting to create false enemies and bolster its own following through them, actual terrorist attacks have increased. The main reason for this increase in terrorist attacks is Trump’s continued provocative statements and increased polarization. These provocations have activated numerous terrorist organizations.

6) The Migrant Crisis

Trump, who has escalated the situation to the point of ordering the construction of a wall against Mexico, believes he is doing the United States a favor with these primitive measures (see: https://tr.euronews.com/2020/06/24/trump-tan-meksika-duvar-na-ovgu-dunyan-n-en-guclu-duvar-covid-19-u-bile-durdurdu ). However, the Trump administration has caused the migrant crisis to explode and trampled on humanity. For example, as you can read in the news link I provided above, in 2019, more than 7,000 people departing from Central America reached the US border via Mexican territory and were detained by US border security forces. Media reports indicated that thousands of children were among those detained, many of whom were held in poor conditions awaiting repatriation. The resulting humanitarian crisis has drawn numerous reactions from both within and outside the country.

7) Climate Change

Don’t ask what Trump has to do with climate change. The Trump administration, which withdrew the US from the Paris Climate Agreement (see: https://www.bbc.com/turkce/haberler-dunya-40129916 ), consistently supported fossil fuel producers, and opposed the renewable energy sector, is among the primary culprits of climate change. Especially considering that the US is the world’s leading carbon emitter, the damage it has inflicted on the world in terms of carbon emissions, and therefore climate change, is incalculable.

8) Air Pollution

Another type of disaster caused by fossil fuel producers is air pollution. The burning of fossil fuels for energy must be stopped. This increases carbon emissions and contributes to air pollution. Don’t even think about air pollution; millions of people die prematurely every year from air pollution (see: https://www.bbc.com/turkce/haberler-dunya-47537853 ). The Trump administration has always been a major supporter of companies operating on the primitive model of burning fossil fuels to generate energy.

9) Forest Fires

The Trump administration is also implicated in forest fires. First, let’s look at naturally occurring forest fires. Extreme temperatures are fueled by the burning of fossil fuels and excessive carbon emissions. This heat, in turn, causes forests to burn. We experienced this painfully in Australia at the beginning of last year. Forest fires, caused by extreme heat resulting from climate change, continue to increase around the world. Similarly, man-made forest fires are entirely for profit. The tendency to burn down forests in valuable locations and replace them with real estate projects is widespread. This fits Trump’s mindset perfectly.

Proactive Measures Are Essential

Proactively preventing man-made disasters is crucial for people to continue their lives in a comfortable environment. This can prevent serious loss of life and property and prevent potential psychological distress.

You’ve read a summary of the disasters dictators cause in their countries above. A world without leaders like Trump who exhibit this tendency, or who transcend this tendency and become certified as dictators, would significantly prevent the emergence of man-made disasters.

The US appears to have overcome this problem for now. Of course, the emergence of another leader with dictatorial tendencies who is more intelligent, cunning, and strategic than Trump could turn the US upside down in the future. They will need to take precautions.

For Future Generations

What about other countries? It’s certain that humanity will suffer even more.

I won’t see this in my generation, but I hope that in the future, humanity will address serious system flaws like dictatorships and establish healthy governance systems where everyone contributes constantly, shared wisdom emerges, problems are solved more quickly and dynamically through micro-governance, and collective action is fostered.

To solve this problem, which affects our existence, we must take the right steps in a peaceful and inclusive manner in our current era, so that perhaps a few generations from now, tangible results can be achieved. Humanity can breathe a sigh of relief.

Such a change is very difficult, but the emergence of a few good examples will trigger change in all countries. It’s enough to demonstrate that these things can be done differently. Aren’t there people and communities in this world who can create this change? There certainly are.

* The definition of disaster is taken from AFAD’s website. You can find this definition at https://www.afad.gov.tr/aciklamali-afet-yonetimi-terimleri-sozlugu .

Bonus:

A funny video comparing Trump to African Presidents: