Fareed Zakaria: Expansion of Trump Administration’s Power Undermines Foundations of American Civilization
Fareed Zakaria, a renowned American writer and analyst, says the current policies of Donald Trump’s administration have weakened the principles that formed the foundations of democracy, stability, and prosperity in the United States. He believes that the increasing concentration of power in the government has seriously questioned citizens’ fundamental rights and the independence of institutions.
In an article in The Washington Post, Zakaria wrote that basic pillars such as guaranteed civil rights, judicial independence, and respect for private property—which are prerequisites for establishing democratic order in Western societies—are being eroded by the current policies of the Trump administration.
He refers to events that he considers clear signs of the unchecked expansion of government power; including the killing of two citizens in Minneapolis while they were asserting their rights under the First Amendment and the detention of citizens by federal agents without judicial warrants. Zakaria describes these actions as emblematic of the emergence of an authoritarian police state.
According to the writer, the Trump administration has simultaneously launched a wide-ranging assault on civil society, the media, universities, non-governmental organizations, law offices, and even private companies, which, from his point of view, strays from the fundamental characteristics of Western societies.
In the economic realm, Zakaria warns that the U.S. government is extending its dominance over the market to the extent that company executives are summoned to the White House to receive favors or endure pressures. He says this trend transforms the capitalist system from a competitive field into a structure resembling cronyism.
The American writer emphasizes that Western civilization is not based on racial superiority but on the principle of limiting government power and protecting citizens’ rights. He says the greatest current threat to America is not external enemies but the unchecked expansion of the Trump administration’s power, which he believes signals the true signs of a civilizational collapse in the country.
