Back to the Future: Political Paralysis Cost Britain America, What Will it Cost the United States?
Abstract
The year is 1763 and despite presiding over a vast commercial and political empire, Britai's parliament has failed to embrace the buds of what will eventually become understood as collective responsibility. Instead, the British government is characterized by paralysis and polarization. Worse, the government has been exposed by separate internal factions that are infatuated with economic speculation, personal power, wealth, status, and estate. Consequently, the common ground could only be found in a common enemy, leading to strategic mistakes, such as the mistreatment of allies and partners that would prove catastrophic at Yorktown some two decades later. The Colonies are mistaken as a periphery issue, debated infrequently in the Houses of Parliament, and in 1765, it elects to pass a taxation law without deliberation, known as the Stamp Duty Act, that lights the tinderbox of rebellion in America. Concurrently struggling with the application of a constitutional monarchy, a deteriorating political situation set the stage for the abuse of executive power. The conditions were set for catastrophic strategic failure. Back to the future, the summary above could be applied to America today. After freely pursuing liberal democracy, pure and unrivalled power and prestige have built intrinsic strategic complacency. The unchecked thirst for individual power and profit permeates politics, where it has been exchanged for collective responsibility and effective foreign policy. The abuse of executive power synonymous with the Trump presidency and the debacle at the opening of the 118th Congress will only entrench polarization, as personal motives prevent progress. Strategic allies and partners continue to be cast aside, mismanaged, and overlooked by the art of the deal, where short-termism and American profit are prioritized over mutually beneficial strategic partnerships. The country is more polarized, more extreme, and more divided than it has been since the Civil War.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Mar 10, 2023
- Accession Number
- AD1205649
Entities
People
- Shane Rutherford
Organizations
- National Defense University