Neglect Democracy, Build Nightmare Weapons Instead
If I assume the Putins of the world are inevitable, the weapon is a great advancement. What if this endless conveyor is not inevitable?
Unfortunately the 'inevitable' mindset incorrectly assumes we must always accept the legitimacy of Putins after they cheat to gain power. We supposedly live in a rules based society, the rational-legal framework. The cheapest 'cost per shot' would be for NATO allies to strengthen the legal framework around fair elections. Putin, Sunak, Trump, Bolsanaro, and the Generals of Myanmar cannot win a fair election.
Second, UN member states should stop switching from the rational-legal framework to feudal deference, when a dictator or autocrat assumes power, with no legitimate mandate. This throwback to medieval days, when you could kill your brother or storm the palace to get the crown, cannot not continue to be recognized as a path to power.
There will always be cheats and scoundrels. We know how to write a fair election process that excludes them. That process must become the international standard. Shun anyone who games the system and only engage with legitimate leaders. Immediately shut down all international cooperation until a certified election is held to correct the crime. They cannot survive without international cooperation and the serious threat of a completely closed physical and economic border would likely deter any further attempts.
The absence of a few pages of election standards and the absence of international agreement to support those standards, with NATO-like solidarity, allows the Putin scenario to repeat and repeat. When will we stand up for each other and demand that our governments treat the root causes, not the expensive and deadly consequences. Every place in the world where we allowed the fairness of elections to be damaged, has become a nest of violence and corruption.
The cheapest 'cost per shot' is no shot.
Biting the hand that feeds IT
