I’ve tried to underline on my postings the fact that nowadays people are so much confused about how political power works. The advent of republic as a political model, where for the first time power is seemingly assigned to an abstract entity – the people – has contributed decisively to this big confusion and lack of understanding. On a personal level, only when I read the Qur’an two decades ago, I understood political power for the first time in my life.
As we all know, on July 4, 1776, the political elite of the European settlers in North America decided to break away from the British Empire and form the USA, which originally included thirteen British colonies in the East coast. This political entity, i.e., the USA, was very special. It was declared to be a republic – the first one in human history.
Republic is very hard to understand. Technically, a group of people write a document, called constitution, form some offices, which are assigned executive, legislative, military and judicial power. Strangely, such offices are transformed into abstract entities, called political institutions. Deceptively, the political mechanism to fill such offices with people is elections, which the world has not yet figured it out how to hold fair and uncontested ones. In a republic, no institution is above the other, not even the elected president. He or she is just part of a larger game. It is the people who are in charge of the political power, yet this is the most abstract entity, undefined, and easily manipulated. People are the herd, so they cannot be in charge.
In reality, political power has always one person in charge. It revolves around a group of people, and always there is one individual steering the country. There cannot be two, no matter what we call that person: king, emir, sultan, khan, pharaoh, or caliph. In the end, there must be one in charge, who controls others, who settles the disputes, and who oversees the continuation of power. In this regard, the elected officials, prime ministers, and presidents are merely employees of the ruler. They don’t represent a new power.
The example of the British Monarchy and the coronation of King Charles III demonstrates exactly how power works. In the end, there is one person above others; it is not the people, as the US republic has confused the whole world with this blatant lie and deception.
In the case of the USA and other republics, it has never been the people in charge. Such entities have always been under the British Empire or the British Monarchy. The people – abstract entity – cannot be in charge. It is not possible. Power doesn’t work that way. Power works exactly as the British Monarchy is exhibiting it today: there is a king or ruler and there is political allegiance. The USA has been a historical deception for the world. Power doesn’t work abstractly and secretly, as the US founding fathers de facto claimed.
Sabri Lushi
