On the Existential Struggles of Our Time, Part I

By Stu Cvrk

There are three main existential struggles ongoing in the Age of Trump (IMHO); this thread will examine the first one:

a. Globalism vs. nationalism
b. Individualism vs. collectivism
c. Judeo-Christian good vs. evil

2. Let us start with the definition of “existential struggle.” The word “existential” has to do with Man’s existence in humanistic terms as relates to the key values of freedom and authenticity. Mankind has been plagued by tyranny of most governments since The Fall of Adam.

3. Down through history, the power-mad have always sought their panacea of arbitrary rule over their fellow men – to be able to direct others toward whatever their goals were (conquest, revenge, religious imperatives, whatever).

4. One could say that struggle (indeed, war) is an inherent trait of human nature. Today’s struggles for existence have become as much ideological and economic in nature as they are armed conflicts.

5. In fact, the last truly significant armed conflict involving many nations and significant loss of life was the Korean War. Open warfare is but one political tool used by the wealthy and the powerful to achieve their ends.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Korean_War

6. Others include political ideologies (e.g., socialism in all its grisly forms), religion (e.g., Islam), terrorism, multi-national corporations, multi-national institutions (such as the UN & EU), & govt policies aimed at shaping human affairs (e.g., “free” trade & open borders).

7. The subject of this thread on existential struggles is globalism vs. nationalism. Globalism has been in vogue since the end of WWII when the US emerged as the world’s superpower and the UN was created. The objectives were thought to be benign and for the good of mankind:

a.. To shape the post-war world into a global capitalist order centered on the US
b. To rebuild the shattered economies of Europe, and to a lesser extent, east Asia and Japan

c. To control rogue nations through collective institutions (the UN, the WTO, World Bank, etc.) that could exert some degree of economic and political influence and thereby prevent future wide-scale wars.

8. Seems good, right? The problem is the altruism without regard to human nature. One could argue that the US political elite in the 1940s lost sight of the constraints of the US Constitution, as well as the admonitions of the Founders to “beware of foreign entanglements.”

9. Read George Washington’s farewell address again, especially his recommendation to end all foreign alliances, and put it in the context of today’s events. He was spot on (which is heresy in the US foreign policy establishment!): en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Wa…

10. The Constitution was written to balance the powers of an American central government while protecting the rights and freedoms of its people. The Founders well understood tyranny, as they had just won a war against George III.

11. But the Constitution does not extend to other countries in the world who operate under different (and more tyrannical) political systems and with different national imperatives.

12. The expectation that collective institutions like the UN would follow altruistic US leadership and not be corrupted by other nations over time has proven to be incorrect – to the detriment of the US, in particular.

13. A particular strain of globalism has evolved in which the view is that the US military and economic superpower must be effectively destroyed in order to achieve the next stage of human development – a centrally-directed global government evolved from the UN and EU.

14. The American Left has embraced this form of globalism because it dovetails with their lust for authoritarian political control over their fellow Americans – and whose desires are elucidated by them, wittingly or unwittingly, with each passing month as they call for socialism.

15. The Democrat Party –the party of “big government” – has become the party of outright socialism, and their violent authoritarian arm Antifa is used to suppress opposing political speech in academia and on the streets. Right in line with the globalists.

16. The deleterious effects of the policies of the Democrat Party (high taxes, massive regulations on private enterprise, crony capitalism, open borders, free trade, nationalized healthcare, weakened military readiness, foreign entanglements everywhere, ….

16A. … furthering the sexual/cultural revolution, continued secularization of America’s institutions, identity politics, increasing controls of public education, etc.) were witnessed first-hand under the 8 horrible years of the Obama regime:

a. Less than 3% GDP annualized (an historic low)
b. Sky-rocketing health insurance costs due to Obamacare
c. Reduction in military readiness
d. Promotion of chaos in the Middle East (the faux “Arab Spring”)
e. Massive influx of illegal aliens, with the attendant crime and disease not seen in America for decades
f. Pitting of Americans against each other for political gain
g. Selective enforcement of federal laws and willfully ignoring the Constitution
h. Corruption on a massive scale, including the use of federal agencies against political enemies
i. Etc.

17. These Democrat/Uniparty policies facilitated globalist goals by weakening the world’s only superpower and massively increasing the power of the federal government over the people. At the same time, they strengthened the economies of rivals like China.

18. Free trade in particular has been detrimental to US domestic manufacturing interests. When combined with high taxes and overregulation, the offshoring of US manufacturing to China and the maquiladoras in Mexico helped create the Rust Belt in the Midwest.

19. These policies were and are contrarian to the Founders’ vision and intentions for the country, as enshrined in the Constitution, and are indeed against human nature, i.e., the persistent yearning of mankind down through the ages for personal and economic freedoms.

20. Enter Donald J. Trump, builder and business magnate with a well-cultivated reputation as a reality TV star, and with a brand name known to virtually every American alive.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Trump…

21. While his political enemies foolishly call him a dunce & a buffoon, in reality he is perhaps the ultimate American patriot. His obvious love for the country and its people is nowhere more obvious than at his massive political rallies – which are electric & standing room-only!

22. Make America Great Again is much, much more than just a political slogan. It is aimed at a restoration of American nationalism across the full spectrum of policies: lower taxes, increased domestic business investment, improved military readiness, ….

U.S. Economy Surges To A 4.1 Percent Growth Pace In 2nd QuarterA key measure of the economy's health showed a dramatic pickup, which President Trump called "amazing." But some analysts doubt the higher growth rate will last.https://www.npr.org/2018/07/27/632640711/u-s-could-see-blockbuster-economic-growth-number-today

22A. … selective use of tariffs to reset trade balances with China/Mexico/Canada/the EU, removal of barriers to domestic oil and gas production, closing the border, restoration of the rule of law (going after human traffickers & MS-13 for starters), ….

IMPORTANT – Michael Pillsbury: China Has “New Respect” For U.S. Trade Strategy…Sad Panda increasingly frustrated as disruptor Trump heaps vociferous praise on Chairman Xi, while simultaneously out maneuvering Beijing’s geopolitical economic strategy. China expert Michae…https://theconservativetreehouse.com/2018/08/18/important-michael-pillsbury-china-has-new-respect-for-u-s-trade-strategy/

22B. …and a return to American leadership on the world stage that has been sadly absent during the Obama regime (moving the embassy in Israel to Jerusalem, a virtual tripartite pact with Saudi Arabia and Israel to roll up Iran in the Middle East, ….
treasury.gov/resource-cente…

22C. …a strengthening of European financial commitments to NATO, near destruction of ISIS, movement toward denuclearization of the DPRK, movement toward resolution of the Syrian civil war, confrontation of Chinese overreach in the South China Sea, ….

U.S. weighs more South China Sea patrols to confront 'new reality'...The United States is considering intensified naval patrols in the South China Sea in a bid to challenge China's growing militarization of the waterway, actions that could further raise the stakes in …https://www.reuters.com/article/us-asia-security-southchinasea/u-s-weighs-more-south-china-sea-patrols-to-confront-new-reality-of-china-idUSKCN1IZ03B

22D. … much improved ties with India/), and a restoration of the US Constitution to its appropriate prominence once again through the appointment of some GREAT judges to the Supreme Court and the federal judiciary.

23. In essence, @POTUS, his policies, and his administration are the living embodiment of US nationalism on the rise, and normal Americans are loving it! Record low employment numbers, increase in new black-owned business starts, record low black/Hispanic unemployment.

24. All of this flies in the face of the globalists who seek a diminishment of US economic and military power and essentially a return to the multi-polar world of the late 19th century, which resulted in two world wars, the deaths of hundreds of millions of people, ….

24A. …and the devastation of dozens of national economies in the 20th century.

25. @POTUS is absolutely right to reverse the trend toward globalism! He is the president of the US and is legally charged with looking out for American interests, not the interests of the rest of the world. The leaders of other countries around the world are also nationalists.

26. This is the natural order of things insofar as world affairs is concerned: all nat'l leaders generally want the best for their own countries & people. @POTUS is 19 mo. into his presidency – a restoration of balance that globalists have purposely skewed over the last 60 yrs.

27. Conclusion: the first existential struggle of our times is globalism vs. nationalism. We are in the early stages, and @POTUS is both leading and teaching us of its benefits to all Americans.

27A. It is up to us as to whether we continue on this path or succumb to the Left’s socialist siren song in November. I vote US nationalism BIGLY! How about you? 

Follow Stu Cvrk on Twitter at @StuInSD.