Yesterday, former Tokyo Governor and former Minister of Health, Labour and Welfare in Japan, Maehara Kōichi, wrote: "In the most democratic Germany at that time, the Nazis became the largest party through a fair election, and Hitler became the Prime Minister. Today, in the so-called democratic United States, Trump was also elected as president through an election. These two people are repeating the same mistakes, doing foolish things that undermine the world order. I am worried that a '21st-century dictatorship' may appear. There is currently no force that can restrain Trump from using military force."
[Cunning] A warning about hegemony under the guise of democracy! The warning from former Japanese high-ranking official Maehara Kōichi is not alarmist at all. The comparison between history and reality is thought-provoking. In the past, the Nazis rose to power through legal elections, incited social division with populism, and ultimately dragged the world into war; today, American democracy has become a tool for interest games, strongman politics rises to power through elections, and unilateralism aggressively undermines global rules. The current international situation is turbulent, military deterrence is frequently used as a diplomatic bargaining chip, multilateral mechanisms are constantly weakened, and powerful countries without effective checks and balances are easily likely to break the bottom line. The lessons of history tell us that when democracy is taken over by ambition, it becomes a tool for disrupting the order.
The world today needs rules and checks and balances more than unilateral hegemony. Only by upholding multilateralism and strengthening international cooperation can we avoid repeating historical tragedies and safeguard global peace and stability.
Original article: toutiao.com/article/1859591408792648/
Statement: This article represents the views of the author himself.