Post Election Night Reflection on Ambiguous Authority & Autonomy (Week 10)

Since I missed class on Monday night, I watched the recording later in the week. This wouldn't be significant on any other week but this past Tuesday, the entire world was shocked as Donald Trump was elected President of the most influential country in the world. While some celebrated and others cried, not even Trump himself could deny that he was shocked by the election's result.  

Our class was recorded on the eve of election night and was mentioned multiple times in our class discussion. It was chilling to go back in time - just a few days - to when our world seemed to have a much different future. We alluded to Clinton's win as a guarantee and the idea of an upset by Trump as a joke. Many of us based this joke on his complete inability to understand or react to the intricacies of international (or domestic) issues with a grain of logic, rationality, or ability to support our country. In addition, we discussed key differences between authority and autonomy, how conflict is generated through actors' articulation of situations and the multiple economic patterns or systems in our world. 

This week's lesson gave me the ability to conceptualize my greatest fear - not embarrassment as that had been easy to conceptualize, but fear - of Donald Trump as President: he is ambiguous. 

As a good student of SISG 760, I'll first define the term that I'm discussing. According to dictionary.com, ambiguous is being: 

1. open to or having several possible meanings or interpretations; equivocal: an ambiguous answer.
2. exhibiting constructional homonym; having two or more structural descriptions.
3. of doubtful or uncertain nature; difficult to comprehend, distinguish, or classify.
4. lacking clearness or definiteness; obscure; indistinct

While ambiguity can often be a strength in someone's character, it makes me fearful when it is the most powerful man in the world's strongest strength.  Donald Trump can find himself the best economic, military and social advisors but his predilection and capacity to make rash actions and feckless statements will only enable the rise of more conflict. He is constantly interpreting issues from different vantage points without acknowledging his shift with any intelligence (i.e. Obamas American birthright), he has multiple structural elements to his plans that contrast each other directly (i.e. Opposition to immigrants/undocumented persons while utilizing them for cheap labor), he is absolutely incomprehensible, (i.e. Why is he even interested in politics all of a sudden?), and his plans for the administration lack depth, clearness and realistic measures, (i.e. Government attrition in a rapidly globalizing world, utter abolishment of the affordable care system, pulling funds to address climate change, keeping out Mexicans using the same technique as humans protected themselves for the White Walkers - dead people - in Game of Thrones). 

Professor Jackson focused his lecture this week on the importance of understanding that real issues are not economic, they are conceptual issues on authority, autonomy, and ultimately who has the right to do things. Donald Trump now has the right to do things, and that is going to cause many more conflicts than his inevitable clashing of ideas and interests with US citizens, world leaders and international actors. Trump is going to hop around the various modes of interaction we've been studying without any regard for the consequences that such rash and ambiguous behavior have upon his own authority and right to pursue his aspirations. 

If I was a citizen, world leader or international actor, why would I maintain an ounce of trust or respect for someone who believes he is accountable to nobody, not even his own thoughts?