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Four steps to survive America鈥檚 political meltdown
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The US is in the midst of a political meltdown, unable to manage a domestic economic agenda or a coherent foreign policy. The White House is in turmoil; Congress is paralyzed; and the world is looking on in astonishment and dread. If we are to survive and overcome this collapse, we must understand its sources.
There are two power centers in Washington, DC: the White House and the Capitol. Both are in disarray, but for different reasons.
The dysfunctionality of the White House is largely a matter of President Donald Trump鈥檚 personality. The hope in Washington is that 鈥渁dults in the room鈥 will keep Trump鈥檚 dangerous tendencies in check. But the 鈥渁dults鈥 in Trump鈥檚 administration are increasingly military figures rather than civilians.
Wise civilian leaders are the key to peace, especially given that America鈥檚 vast war machine is always revving. Recall John F. Kennedy鈥檚 military advisers, who advocated war during the Cuban Missile Crisis.
There are two other escape valves: the 25th Amendment, which charts a course for removing a president who is unable to discharge the responsibilities of office, and impeachment for 鈥渉igh crimes and misdemeanors.鈥 Both measures are extreme in the US constitutional order, and both would depend on the agreement of Republican leaders. Nonetheless, one or the other may prove necessary and even urgent in the event that Trump鈥檚 psychological instability or political weakness leads him to launch a war.
The political meltdown in Congress is less dramatic, but serious nonetheless. There, the cause is not a personality disorder; it鈥檚 money. The legislative branch has been deeply corrupted by corporate lobbying and campaign contributions.
Washington is still filled with many smart and talented people of both parties, but America鈥檚 political institutions and formal processes are diminished.
The federal government is hemorrhaging scientific expertise, as researchers leave or are purged, and as agency budgets are targeted for deep cuts. Seasoned diplomats are flooding out of the State Department. Lobbyists, meanwhile, are installing cronies and hacks throughout the government.
Through the din, new drumbeats of war can be heard.
Off Twitter
Is it posturing or real? Nobody knows. Trump鈥檚 foreign and military policies are now announced in early-morning tweets, without the foreknowledge of the White House staff or senior officials. The situation is dangerous and deteriorating.
I suggest three immediate steps, and a fourth longer-term step.
The first step is to take Trump off Twitter. The US 鈥 and the world 鈥 needs public policy by consultation and deliberation, not one man鈥檚 worsening pathology. The American people, by a large margin, concur that Trump鈥檚 tweets are hurting national security and the presidency.
Second, congressional leaders should agree, on a bipartisan basis, to constrain Trump鈥檚 belligerent proclivities. Article I, Section 8 of the US Constitution vests the authority to declare war with Congress, and Congress needs to reassert that authority now, before it鈥檚 too late.
Third, the world鈥檚 major powers should make clear that matters of war and peace must be agreed within the UN Security Council.
If the US had heeded the UN Security Council鈥檚 collective wisdom in the recent past, it would have avoided several ongoing disasters, including the chaos in Iraq, Libya, and Syria, and saved trillions of dollars and many hundreds of thousands of lives.
The fourth, longer-term step is constitutional reform to move away the US away from its volatile presidential system to a parliamentary system, or at least to a mixed presidential-parliamentary system, as in France. The power of the president 鈥 and therefore the danger of a runaway presidency 鈥 is far too great.
Much more needs to be done to restore democratic legitimacy in the US, including introduction of stricter limits on campaign financing and lobbying. First and foremost, however, we must survive the dangerous Trump presidency by preserving the peace.
Jeffrey D. Sachs, Professor of Sustainable Development and Professor of Health Policy and Management at Columbia University, is Director of Columbia鈥檚 Center for Sustainable Development and the UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network. Copyright: Project Syndicate, 2017.www.project-syndicate.org. Shanghai Daily condensed the article.
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