Although 2025 was already shaping up to be the worst year of the century for the post-1945 rules-based world order, recent days has been among the most devastating so far. The Israeli government further ignored obligations for international conventions by sending a squadron of warplanes toward the Gulf state, striking a Hamas delegation participating in ceasefire talks in Doha. The final significant platform for diplomatic negotiation appears to have gone up in smoke.
At least 19 Russian drones breached the territorial skies of Poland. For the first time, allied military aircraft was engaged against enemy targets inside a Nato country. Whether the incursion resulted from an error or intentional testing by Moscow, as western experts believe, this was “the closest we have been to open conflict after WWII,” the Polish leader, the head of government, said.
And then, a prominent conservative voice, a firebrand conservative activist and close Donald Trump ally, was shot dead while addressing college students and political followers at a Utah university. In the absence of proof of the shooter’s identity or intentions, the former president quickly accused “those on the radical left,” accusing them of rhetoric that led directly for the terrorism occurring currently across the nation now.”
Asked how the divided nation might reconcile after Kirk’s assassination, Trump said he was indifferent”. The reasoning provided proved alarming: “The radicals on the right are radical because they oppose criminal activity … Leftist activists pose the real threat – being dangerous and despicable and strategically clever.” This is how polarisation transforms into tribalism. This is how the spiral of hatred accelerates toward a point of no return.
Actually, more than three-quarters of all extremist-related killings across America over the last 10 years have come from individuals on the far right, while left-wing radicals accountable for only a fraction of them. Trump condemned ideologically motivated attacks in general the following day – yet omitted mention of the recent spate assaults against Democrats, which involved multiple murders. From his perspective, the problem is perpetually others, and not the loyal supporters constituting his core followers.
The political and cultural aftershocks from the assassination are certain to emerge in the coming weeks, yet the gravest risk in a polarised climate is that the shooting transforms into a Reichstag fire in contemporary times. The deliberate burning which occurred in early 1933 signaled Germany’s shift from fragile democracy to outright dictatorship. The Nazi leader, freshly installed as chancellor, capitalized on the incident to eliminate the freedoms of the Weimar constitution – free speech, media independence, organizational liberty, assembly.
“Anyone who stands in our way shall be eliminated,” he declared, surveying the arsoned building. Thousands of communists were jailed, including all 81 Communist deputies in parliament. With the left neutralised, the Nazis quickly cemented control.
Within modern America, Kirk’s death has gripped the country, energizing political bases and loyalists, a fact he recognizes. An extremist figure, a controversial commentator, clamoured for detainment of all opposing lawmakers, openly claiming the killing as a pivotal turning point.
In truth, here is the event a potential rescue an increasingly unpopular presidency plagued with significant declines in employment figures, currency devaluation, and real estate turmoil. Trump mourned Kirk like a lost relative, yet his language suggested this would be as much about pursuing Trump’s enemies rather than justice. Immediately following the assassination, he vowed to pursue all individuals involved directly or indirectly in this tragedy … including the organisations that fund and support it.” He singled out a billionaire philanthropist, a donor to liberal causes and political contributor. He is dangerous,” he informed a news outlet, he deserves imprisonment.”
The motive behind Kirk’s killing remains unclear. Ideological leanings of the suspect, a young individual, seem confused as those of Thomas Matthew Crooks, the 20 year old who attempted to assassinate the former president in Pennsylvania. Is this truly the radical left targeting right-wing figures – or is it the strange, chaotic subculture from internet forums spilling into the real world? Phrases etched on to the bullet casings in Utah read less like an ideological manifesto and more like a mix of puerile memes and virtual world allusions.
But it is hard not to fear that the repression of “unwilling” academics, lawyers, media workers, government employees, armed forces members, and judicial figures in the US will intensify. Thus far, online responses resulted in a wave of terminations and US state department officials have cautioned foreign nationals not to praise or make light of the murder, instructing consulates to take “appropriate action” against any foreigners engaging in such behavior.
The former president has often prospered amid turmoil and instability. Where real crises do not exist, he invents scenarios – including imagined crime pandemics in Los Angeles, the capital and urban centers. Fake chaos advances his ambitions. Currently, he possesses chaos on a silver platter. It is understandable he shows no concern if the nation comes together.
This incident offers an ideal justification to strengthen control, muzzling opposition, and centralizing authority – enabling future leaders to assume full state control, irrespective of personal appeal, merit or mandate. Ultimately, any autocratic system has to be built first; after consolidation, it becomes far easier to uphold.
Liberal democracy and international frameworks have flaws, but they have delivered peace, progress and prosperity – the very opposite of dictatorial rule. Implying that the US, the architect of the postwar order, might rapidly descend into full-blown autocracy, its leaders thinking like Nazis in 1933, may seem far-fetched.
However, alternatively, it is not far-fetched at all. Authoritarian rule was still within living memory during the upbringing even at the heart of contemporary Western nations came of age. Across European states, most families retain memories of the death, destruction, animosity and destitution that authoritarianism leaves behind. If Americans want to save coming years, they should examine our recent past.
