“It is the
illusion of strong men and nations that power is the basis of security. There
is some justification for the illusion, for, in so far as human society is
governed by physical force, obvious strength, whether it be military or
economic, may be counted upon not only to defeat the actual foe, but to reduce
the potential foe to the impotence of fear. The strongest bully in a gang is
rarely challenged to prove his prowess, and a nation which possesses obvious
economic or military advantages may indulge in idiosyncrasies and commit errors
which would prove fatal to less favored nations…..Power is dangerous both to
those who wield it and to those who are affected by it. It gives those who
wield it a false sense of security which absolves them of the necessity of
thinking carefully upon the issues involved in their action.”— American
Protestant theologian Reinhold Niebuhr (1892-1971), “Perils of American Power,”
originally published in The Atlantic Monthly, January 1932, reprinted in
The American Idea: The Best of “The Atlantic Monthly” (2007)
Niebuhr
wrote this passage not long into the Age of Dictators that ensued in Europe
after the bloodshed of World War I and the resulting socioeconomic collapse. The
truth he propounded is emerging ever more strongly now, in another period when
strongmen learn that the omnipotence of mortals, even those with seemingly absolute power, is an illusion.
