While there is still room for hope that the new US administration will carry out its goals humanely, the seeming lack of institutional safeguards is worrying.
I do not know if the new Trump administration is racist
I do not know if the new Trump administration is racist.
Racist groups and personalities sympathise with the political agenda they put forth. That is not good.
Yet, he is married to someone of foreign origin and, perhaps more revealing, their son seems to have them both in high regard.
Furthermore, several top-ranking officials in his team are of foreign or have close relatives who are of foreign origin, and it would be hard to say their personal lifes paint them as fundamentally racist.
Institutional safeguards matter nonetheless
Regardless, institutional safeguards matter.
Several of the actions the new US administration has already taken do seem to lack the institutional safeguards needed to avoid things from going badly.
The lack of institutional safeguards is concerning:
- Where there is no due process, there is no room for mistake.
- Where there is no due process, there is no recourse for the innocent.
- Where there is no due process, audiences might feel justified in being increasingly intolerant.
So, regardless, a significant risk exists in the absence of institutional safeguards.
Hoping for the best, fearing the worst
One can and has to hope that the new US administration manages its objectives in a manner compatible with human dignity.
However, one also can and has to worry about the kind of tragedies that can arise when institutional safeguards are absent.