We are witnessing a reversal of logic in international politics and democratic coexistence, similar to the reflection of Albert Camus‘s Caligula, who feels free and “above the gods.”
Contrast the cynicism and mockery of authoritarian forces, who share roles from the extremes, with the weak response of democratic countries. This absurd montage, reflecting a rift between the United States and Europe, could exemplify the universal absolutism they are trying to impose.
Trump, the recurring tragedy
Trump’s actions since the beginning of his second term in the White House – and especially the images of his meeting with Zelensky – remind me of the ninth scene of the first act of the play, in which Camus puts the phrase into the emperor’s mouth:
“Power gives an opportunity to the impossible.”
Thus, the madness of a ruler who conceives of power without moral or other limits is presented with absolute naturalness.
Caligula shows a man who believes others are unfree and who wants to teach them what freedom is. A man who desires with all his might an empire where the impossible reigns, where heaven and earth unite, where the grotesque merges with beauty, and where laughter combines with suffering. But am I just talking about theater?
So far and so close to the Chinese
The trade war is pitting China against the United States. But does this conflict cover all scenarios?
If we look at contemporary Chinese political pragmatism, we can recognize a certain inspiration in Legalism, a philosophical movement that, for centuries, justified a political organization and a legal order devoid of any morality in its actions, organized around the consolidation of the ruler and with an administrative apparatus that guaranteed absolute control over the population. This movement later inspired the political thought of Mao Zedong.
Xi, universal vocation
Today, the Chinese communist state, led by Xi Jinping, controls the capitalist scheme of its economy – a product of Deng Xiao Ping’s reforms – in which personal enrichment and economic individualism are admitted and promoted.
Hence the increasingly open struggle for control of natural resources and global markets, which goes beyond the political and rises above the cultural, gaining soft power globally through the Belt and Road project (financial support for infrastructure development in Asia, Africa, Latin America and Europe), stronger national brands (especially in the electric car market) and the reopening to visitors after the pandemic.
It is a new world order, driven by a universally oriented Chinese Communist Party, which:
“It adheres to the common destiny of the Chinese people and other peoples of the world, and guides the direction of China’s development in the context of the overall world situation and the trends of the times.”
According to Xi, human society is once again at a historic juncture where it must determine the direction to follow:
“We must assume the responsibility of leading the way, to grasp and shape the common future of humanity. A great era requires a great leader, and a great leader requires a great vision.”
Putin, the big brother
It might seem humorous, if it weren’t yet another drama involving the lives of millions of people, to Trump’s labeling of Volodymyr Zelensky as a dictator, in contrast to his ostentatious good relationship with the Russian leader.
This absurd contradiction has two substantive details: Russia invaded Ukraine, not the other way around, and Vladimir Putin has been in power since December 31, 1999, when he was appointed interim president following Boris Yeltsin’s resignation. From the outset, the omnipresent figure of Big Brother has dominated Russia and sought to infect those he considers satellite states of his project with his authoritarianism.
The key point is that the United States’ staunchest allies—the European Union and NATO member states— have sanctioned Russia and support Ukraine. This implies that the position of senior Trump administration officials blatantly contradicts the values that have defined U.S. foreign policy since the Founding Fathers.
Universal absolutism vs. Western values
I haven’t wanted to address specific conflicts in states and regions that, in practice, are merely pawns or bishops on the global chessboard. This is a brief analysis of the behavior of the most important leaders at this historical moment, to confirm the authoritarian nature of their exercise of power.
Humanity has already witnessed other catastrophic events in which extremes collide, such as the shameful pact between Nazism and Communism aimed at dividing the world. Extrema se tangunt (extremes collide), it’s true, but, in the end, explosive reactions always occur that end up destroying at least one of the opposites because those who believe themselves to be gods cannot tolerate other gods limiting their absurd freedom on the stage.
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