This is an Emergency

We don’t have time for denial.

President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy visits the town of Bucha after liberation from Russian occupiers / Shutterstock.com

Not just emergency. Catastrophe. That is where we are. At the center of a historic catastrophe.

We are perilously teetering towards a global disaster, one that few seem to fully comprehend. Today’s obscene spectacle in the Oval Office, where the President and Vice President of the United States berated the leader of a sovereign nation fighting for its survival, is not just a diplomatic misstep. It is a stark warning that we are perilously close to the collapse of the post-World War II international order.

This is not hyperbole. This is not alarmism. This is a cold, hard assessment of our current reality. We are witnessing the unraveling of decades of progress towards global stability, fueled by a toxic mix of ignorance, arrogance, and a dangerous misunderstanding of the complexities of our interconnected world.

The instruments of state power are being wielded by individuals guided not by wisdom or a sense of historical responsibility, but by petty grudges, empty narratives, and cynical alliances against the very foundations of democratic governance. This is more than a political crisis; it's an existential threat to the principles that have underpinned global stability for generations.

Those who believe America can remain neutral in this conflagration are not just naive—they are dangerously delusional. The fire that is spreading will consume us all, regardless of our attempts to stand apart. We are past the point where isolation is possible. The global economy, the reach of modern weaponry, and the cascading effects of regional conflicts ensure that no nation, no matter how powerful, can escape the consequences of this unfolding disaster.

The idiot savants of realpolitik, those who fancy themselves masters of great power games, like John Mearsheimer, think there's some reductive analysis to be had about the rational behavior of great powers. It's like applying the physics concept of a “spherical cow” to geopolitical analysis, but in the most stupid and sloppy way imaginable. Their oversimplified models fail to account for the complex realities of human nature, the chaos of domestic politics, and the unpredictable dynamics of a multipolar world.

These armchair strategists, with their neat theories and tidy predictions, are dangerously out of touch with the messy realities on the ground. They speak of rational actors and balance of power as if international relations were a game of chess, ignoring the fact that the pieces on this board have minds of their own, driven by fear, ambition, and often, sheer incompetence.

Now, as a result of this myopic thinking and the reckless actions it has enabled, the world prepares for war. Not the limited, contained conflicts these theorists might predict, but a potentially catastrophic conflagration that could engulf us all. The drums of war are beating, not just in the corridors of power, but in the hearts and minds of people being fed a steady diet of nationalism and fear.

We are witnessing the failure not just of diplomacy, but of imagination. The inability to conceive of a world beyond zero-sum games and spheres of influence is pushing us towards a precipice from which there may be no return. The so-called “realists” have become the ultimate fantasists, clinging to outdated notions of state behavior while the world burns around them.

This is the true emergency we face: a crisis of thought as much as a crisis of action. We must wake up to the reality that the old models, the old ways of thinking about international relations, are not just inadequate—they are actively dangerous in a world of nuclear weapons, climate change, biotechnology and artificial intelligence.

The consequences of such outdated thinking are already evident. Consider the disastrous invasion of Iraq in 2003, predicated on simplistic notions of regime change and democratization. This catastrophic misadventure, born from a reductionist view of power dynamics, has destabilized an entire region and fueled ongoing conflicts. Or look at the West's mishandling of Russia's resurgent ambitions, where a failure to understand the complex interplay of historical grievances, domestic politics, and personal ambitions has led us to the brink of a wider European war. This is the explanation for the conflict, not the singular feature of the eastward creep of NATO.

We urgently need a new paradigm for understanding and navigating global politics—one that acknowledges the intricate web of interdependencies that define our world. This new model must account for the role of non-state actors, the impact of rapid technological change, the power of information (and misinformation) in shaping public opinion, and the existential threats posed by climate change and potential pandemics.

Critics may argue that this view is naive, that the world has always been governed by power politics and always will be. But this criticism itself stems from the very limited thinking we must overcome. The challenges we face today—from climate change to the risks posed by artificial intelligence—are unprecedented in human history. They demand a level of global cooperation and foresight that traditional realpolitik is ill-equipped to provide.

It's not out of the realm of possibilities that we have simply moved too far outside of formerly stable arrangements, and the unstable interregnum we are now navigating is bound for military conflict. I don't want to believe that. But I am afraid it could be true. And if we do have time left, we don't have much of it.

The gravity of this situation demands immediate and decisive action at the highest levels of government. Congress should be starting emergency impeachment proceedings, as if the lives of their own children depend on it—because they do. This is not about partisan politics; it's about preserving the very foundations of our democracy and global stability. Every day that passes with unfit leaders at the helm of our nation is a day closer to potential catastrophe.

But impeachment alone is not enough. We need a fundamental reimagining of our approach to global politics and national security. We need leaders who understand the complexities of our interconnected world, who can navigate the challenges of emerging technologies, climate change, and shifting global power dynamics.

We need a new generation of thinkers and policymakers who can break free from the outdated paradigms that have brought us to this precipice. We need a public that is informed, engaged, and willing to demand more from their representatives than simple slogans and easy answers. We need it now. Not in four years. There really is no time for that.