Will Trump kill his presidency by "Icarization"?

Insisting on America's "exceptionalism" will render his presidency short and brutal.

And so it was Icarus flew too close to the sun and his waxed wings melted

Eventually, the facade of hubris in international relations crumbles, revealing the underlying failures or shortcomings. The truth has a way of coming to light, and when it does, the consequences can be even more severe due to the initial deception. This serves as a reminder that authenticity and transparency are crucial, especially for those in positions of power or influence on the global stage.

Trump must lead America toward being a peace loving world power respecting the rights of other nations to exist on their own terms. Until such time as it does there is nothing “exceptional” about it. For its own sake it must become a contributing builder of the multipolar/multinodal world where planetary survival is the primary issue of our times. Global warfare has no place in the 21st century where imperialism, and its consequent neocolonialism, has run its ruinous course.

It has been said if we understand Shakespeare’s plays we understand human psychology. It also applies that History is a window on human psychology as are the social sciences, and the humanities in general. All about who we are, what we stand for, and where we are going. These are preoccupations not to be taken lightly as they are our story, and the under pinnings of our existence. These are the windows on our existence that must be open, airy and referenced regularly.

This is especially so in times of great change as there are powerful forces that want to slam the windows shut and corrupt agendas to their nefarious despotism. There are those who become the delusional Mad Hatters. There are those who suffer both willful and systemic ignorance. There are those who suffer the pathologies intrinsic to the pursuit of endless power and wealth.

Truth and History are the whistleblowers of their deceptions and treasonous behaviors.

The powerful forces with their nefarious agendas are Icarus flying too close to the sun on waxed wings. The wax of their lies, deceptions and delusional behaviors melt. “The fall” ensues as they are victims of their hubris. History and truth have indelible equilibriums invoked as necessary. The Sun is the god who punishes those who aspire to be deities and come to close to his searing presence. They fail to realize the temporal nature of our existence and their place in it, and the obligations that go with it— only one of which is the legacy left to future generations.

Hubris comes in many shapes and sizes as we see in the quotes below:

• "Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall." - Proverbs 16:18

• "The only thing more dangerous than ignorance is arrogance." - Albert Einstein

• "The problem with the world is that the intelligent people are full of doubts, while the stupid ones are full of confidence." - Charles Bukowski

• "Arrogance is the camouflage of insecurity." - Tim Fargo

• "Hubris is one of the great renewable resources." - P.J. O'Rourke

• "Arrogance diminishes wisdom." - Arab Proverb

I add one more: Hubris is-the devil’s helper, and the mask worn by conspirators and imperialists.

Hubris too easily becomes a counterfeit value system to justify wars, violence and socially destructive behaviors, up to and including sociocide and genocide. The same hubris is a manifestation of secreted vested interests and negative ideologies running in the background, eg, militarism, imperialism and neoliberalism.

Instead of fairly and squarely facing the new realities and showing contrition for their failures they retreat into a futile hubrism where all six of the bulleted definitions apply.

Hubris is a declaration of the deeply embedded “exceptionalism”, in other words a self-indulgent, self-declared exemption from taking responsibility for one’s actions, a blatant disregard for consequences, a declaration of being one of God’s chosen people, suffering a pathological ethnocentrism, and rude jingoism.

We have to ask ourselves why our precious societies are so vulnerable and easily subverted. We elect presidents and prime ministers thinking things will change for the better when they don’t. They are subsumed, their office reduced to mere tokenism serving an intractable status quo. The maw of the empire has an insatiable appetite for whole schools of feckless politicians and pretenders to the throne.

When it is said that truth, integrity, honor and noble obligation must be intrinsic to the politics we practice, these have never been more essential than in our times where the quality of governance must be commensurate with the daunting challenges we face.

Politics in the West are deeply mired in the "robber baron" corruptions and criminality of the 19th century, where bribery, graft, and subversion are practiced in full public view. The politics we practice are shamelessly outdated, and manifestly inappropriate for the 21st century.

The destruction of our societies require nothing so dramatic and crude as nuclear war. Endemic hubris is an incremental necromaniac, sociocide. We live in a phantasmagorical world where we are not grounded, but adrift.

The West must take a long hard look in the mirror after imposing its nefarious hubristic agenda on a world community it has alienated. Hubris is the instrument of false prophets in their desperate times.

In today's integrated, complex, and precarious world, holistic and humanistic thinking and decision-making are more crucial than ever. Benevolence must triumph over malevolence and conspiracy.

America’s war mongers are terrified of the “knotted gun” as they only see the world at gun point. Sculpture "Non-Violence" by Swedish artist Carl Frederik Reuterswärd at UN HQ, New York

Exemptional vs Exceptional- “Exemptional" is related to being exempt from something, while"exceptional"is related to being outstanding or superior.

“America will soon be greater, stronger, and far more exceptional than ever before. I return to the presidency confident and optimistic that we are at the start of a thrilling new era of national success. A tide of change is sweeping the country, sunlight is pouring over the entire world, and America has the chance to seize this opportunity like never before.”

The above quote is from Donald Trump’s inaugural speech and is alarming because it contains the trademark word of the empire, “ exceptional”. It is the florid statement of a demagogue painting a picture that doesn’t exist.

“Exceptional” means outstanding or superior… as in “she is an exceptional musician”, … “he won first prize for his exceptional cooking”. The US elites have self-proclaimed themselves as exceptional as a superior force, the only ones qualified to be the global cop, the arbiter of every country’s future and the manager of their affairs. It sees itself as the ultimate civilization where all others are inferior and must be guided by their extortionist hand.

They are using the word exceptional as a code word for their declaration of exemptionalism, their declaration of “immunity from prosecution”, their contempt for international law, their willingness to walk away from and undermine existing treaties, their lapse into being the partner that is “non-agreement capable” that will throw over the chess board when playing the losing hand.

Tragically, at the close of World War II, American corporate elites, colluding with politicians, walked away from the American Dream—a commitment to world peace and social democracy—in favor of establishing an imperialist warfare state with the ultimate goal of world domination. Now, the immutable cycles of history leave the empire in decline, unable to compete with nations that have focused on peace, prosperity, and new technologies. While the empire was preoccupied with wars and world domination, its competitors have been building economies for better futures.

While the West can only speak the language of war and belligerence, it must, for its own survival, put down the cudgels of war and ruinous ideologies and take its appropriate place in the world in pursuit of planetary survival for all on the best possible terms.

Trump’s reckless ego is flying too close to the sun. His presidency is headed for an abrupt Icarization.