“Of all our passions and appetites, the love of power is of the most imperious and unsociable nature, since the pride of one man requires the submission of the multitude,” extract from ‘The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire ‘ by Edward Gibbon.
The lust for power has been a recurring theme throughout history. Today, electronic missives sent via social media platforms are continuously flooding the Internet with the latest update of this phenomenon. Whether it is another coup in Niger, further bombardment of Ukraine by Vladimir Putin’s troops or former US President Donald Trump tweeting more lies about his 2020 elections loss, the lust for power is always trending. This insatiable human craving is not solely restricted to heads of state or to those aspiring to lead their (respective) countries, and is to be found in every facet of civil society.
Here, in Guyana, outside of the political arena (where it is an automatic given) this human flaw is very visible in the quest for control of sports organisations, where, once elected, officials appear willing to do almost anything to cling to power.
Once the lure of power has whet the taste buds of those individuals clearly unsuited for positions of authority, its apparent irreversible effect on their ability to think logically or impartially manifests in a blueprint of desperation and ultimately, chaos. History is rife with examples of this selfish behaviour, yet citizens around the world have surrendered to, and continue to facilitate, their hideous demands.
In the case of Putin, who has changed Russia’s constitution to extend his ironclad hold on the reins of power, the wanton loss of lives and the destruction of infrastructure in the invasion of Ukraine are just inconsequential events in his tyrannical quest to become one of the great Russian leaders of all time. The fear factor of ‘an accident’ or death or a jail sentence is the intimidating tool suppressing challenges to his power.
The exponentially increasing support for Trump’s megalomania continues to defy logic. In the face of insurmountable evidence of his role in the January 6th attempt to disrupt the peaceful transfer of power, Trump’s base, mesmerized by his hypnotic web of lies and his brilliant ploy of incorporating them into his mounting legal problems – “They are really after you, but seek to do so by prosecuting me” – continues to bankroll his efforts. Trump’s modus operandi was summarised two centuries ago by Edward Wortley Montague in his ‘Reflections on the Rise and Fall of the Ancient Republics Adapted to the Present State of Great Britain’ (1759): “He must ever wear the mask of dissimulation, and live a perpetual lie. He will court the friendship of every man, who is capable of promoting, and endeavour to crush every man, who is capable of defeating his ambitious views. Thus his friendship and his enmity will be alike unreal, and easily convertible, if the change will serve his interest.”
As his former facilitators are sentenced for their destructive actions in the January 6th insurrection, Trump’s compilation of a list of his ‘enemies’ – both real and perceived – continues to grow. The intoxicating effect of the lust for power for power’s sake can be measured through the rising tone of defiance displayed in his tweets, most notably on August 4th: “If you go after me, I’m coming after you” following special counsel Jack Smith’s indictment charges for the 2020 Presidential election.
As his potential return to the Oval Office in January 2025 lurches from a highly improbable scenario to a real possibility – Trump’s stalling tactics will most likely delay all his court cases – the American public and the democratic world should begin preparing for the inevitable fallout. The intoxicating effect of a return to the ultimate seat of power on a wiser Trump can be catastrophic to the American landscape. With vengeance uppermost in his mind, he is capable of any action; wholesale arrests of his perceived enemies, firings of long-serving public employees, imposition of martial law to suppress protests, and even suspension of the constitution. This potential recipe for the dismantling of American democracy with the dire consequences of a bitter divide and civil unrest moves to the reality phase once he becomes the candidate for the Republican Party.
Whilst America deals with the government it deserves, the global scales of democratic balance can tip instantly if Trump decides to withdraw from the UN and NATO, or panders to Putin’s demands over Ukraine. As the November, 5th, 2024 Presidential election approaches, one man’s lust for power presents the reality of a new world order.
