President Trump has promised to "drain the swamp". What is the "swamp". Essentially it is corruption within the American system. The whole world it seems is suffering huge corruption problems at the moment. Prime Minister Modi, for instance, is much in the news for his efforts to squeeze corruption out of India where it is a huge problem. When I travel to Spain, much of the ordinary conversation of ordinary people is about news of this or that corruption coming to light. Of course, the cases where it actually comes to light or where something effective is being done are the relatively good instances. It is where corruption has become business as normal that the worst happens. So How come there is so much corruption nowadays?
Much occurs at the public-private interface of the economy. If an official has the job of deciding whether to issue a permit for this or that, it becomes tempting both for the official and for the person who wants the permit to "oil the wheels" with some cash. If the permit is for something big the bribe may be correspondingly large. This probably goes on on a fairly regular basis in many, perhaps a majority of the countries in the world. However, there are bigger scams. Some of the problem is ultimately created by the increasing divide between rich and poor and the emergence of "super rich" people for whom a million dollars is just something to play with. Money management becomes increasingly like a gambling game. It is difficult to say whether it is ironic or appropriate that since January the holder of the supposedly most powerful office in the world is a casino owner.
In any government or business system some money goes missing. At the most trivial level, it is simply rather difficult to account for every penny and stuff does get innocently lost. However, it rather appears that in the USA, for instance, there are sections of government where the amounts "missing" run to trillions of dollars. Where is it all? Who has got it? What are they going to do with it?
If one tries to imagine oneself into this secret world, it soon becomes apparent that these "games" are really powerful and dangerous. "Whistleblowing" has become a popular word recently. Blowing the whistle on espionage or internet hacking, however, is probably a lot less dangerous than exposing multi-million dollar scams that have become built into the system.
Also, we are in an age of increasing misinformation. It is hard to know what is true. Is Trump serious in wanting to "drain the swamp"? Is this a case of "set a thief to catch a thief"? Or is he a smokescreen behind which the old game can continue hidden by the haze of ever changing distractions?
If he is serious, will he survive? London bookmakers are currently giving evens on the question whether Trump will be impeached before the end of his first term. That is quite astonishing for a president so newly elected. Yet there must also be a real risk of him being assassinated. If he is not serious about it, then what will actually happen next? Are we going to see a more blatant power grab by the rich? Goodness knows the American system is in effect plutocratic already, but perhaps it is about to become officially so.
Either way, it is going to be a rough ride. One imagines that civil war in the USA is impossible because of the strength of its military. However, there are many signs that the American military machine itself is in decay. Quite a number of revolutions in history involved a revolt within the army. Trump is moving more money to the military - is that his survival strategy?
My sense is that the whole structure is decaying. The problem is worldwide, but the epicentre at the moment does seem to be in Washington.
Looking at all this from a Buddhist (or any genuinely religious) perspective it is clear enough that corruption sooner or later leads to disaster and chaos. The question is how long it will be before the structure really starts to crumble. Watch out for flying debris when it goes.
Replies
Thank you Priti, yes, that is true, I know. In all these big "games" of money and domination by powerful people, ordinary people suffer both as direct victims and collaterally. When a power structure remains in place for 60 years people find ways of exploiting that system for personal gain and aggrandisement. Then that structure decays and collapses and another one comes along. Sarva samskara anitya, sarva samskara dukkha.
Dear David, as always your write ups are thought provoking. As you have mentioned case of India, and 'corruption sooner or later leads to disaster...'.... I would like to connect this by saying that this is one of the biggest reasons for fall of one of the oldest and largest party of India, Indian National Congress. They were in power in India for almost 60 years and unfortunately they were part of the biggest scams India witnessed.
Yes, sooner or later it indeed results in the fall, disaster and chaos but the suffering and cost is very high for ordinary people.