‘Might makes right’ is wrong for the U.S. and the world

By Georgia Earley
Reader Contributor

During a CNN interview with Jake Tapper in January, Steve Miller, top adviser to the current administration, stated while discussing the potential U.S. annexation of Greenland and other military actions: 

“We live in a world in which you can talk all you want about international niceties and everything else, but we live in a world, in the real world, Jake, that is governed by strength, that is governed by force, that is governed by power. These are the iron laws of the world that have existed since the beginning of time.”

“Might makes right” has in fact ruled among all animals, including humans. Writings from 5,000 years ago show that civilizations practiced human sacrifice of conquered enemies to maintain political power and as a show of military strength; and, until more recently, all had institutionalized some form of slavery. The past couple of centuries however — and especially after WWII — democratic ideals began to restrain that darker side of human nature. Despite periodic relapses into the “law of the jungle,” societies learned a fundamental truth: that people prosper more in times of peace and stability under a shared rule of law.

In the past century, our leaders have sought to uphold these principles through our Constitution and through international agreements, most notably the U.N. Charter, signed in 1945 by 50 countries in the aftermath of Hitler’s violent pursuit of “manifest destiny” in Europe. 

These post-war leaders realized that friends make the most reliable allies. Since then, though, there have been localized military actions against U.S. forces or assets, while none of the original signees of the U.N. Charter has initiated a direct, declared war against the U.S.

For 80 years, the U.S. has benefited enormously from the relative global stability of the now 193-member U.N. Charter. We became a prosperous nation and our democracy, a beacon of hope for people living under authoritarian regimes that rule through fear, coercion and repression. 

As for President Donald Trump’s “Board of Peace,” roughly 28 official members had signed up by early March — 18 are authoritarian or authoritarian-leaning countries, and eight are very corrupt or failing democracies. History gives us little reason to believe those leaders will suddenly champion democratic values. So what values will they promote? And how will they pursue them? Intimidation? Threats? Extortion? And if that becomes the norm, will the U.S. truly be immune? 

Five millennia of written history shows a clear pattern: leaders who view the world through the nihilistic lens of “might makes right” ultimately lead their countries into civil discontent and war, not peace. And war is costly for everyone — except for those in power. 

If we value our democratic republic, we need to pay attention and speak up now. Our nation’s continued prosperity, its strength and even its democratic existence depends on adherence to the constitutional rule of law, the protection of our international friendships to secure strong alliances and the preservation of our freedoms through democratic processes. 

If our leaders refuse to uphold these values, it’s our responsibility to vote for those who will.

Georgia Earley is a Bonners Ferry resident.