In TENET, one of the characters notes that the most dangerous time in human history was just after the fall of the Soviet Union, when the former republics were in disarray and the fate of their nuclear stockpiles unknown.
In 2021, a lame duck narcissist sociopath president with control of America’s nuclear arsenal insists that his election defeat was illegitimate. He rallies his supporters on a critical day. They storm the Capitol. Several people die.
From Zeynep Tufecki’s excellent newsletter:
By any reasonable definition, this is no longer a peaceful transition of power. Not only did the person who lost the election refused to concede, he falsely claimed until the very end that he had won in a landslide. While asserting that he had the right to continue his administration rather than turn it over to the legitimate winner, the president gathered his supporters on the very date that his loss was to be certified and directed them to march on the seat of government to disrupt the process—and they certainly tried. Some may have been in ridiculous looking costumes but others had guns, Molotov cocktails, explosives, zip-ties for hostages, kevlar vests, helmets and other tactical gear.
We’re not living through a peaceful transfer of power and it’s not over yet. Congress needs to remove President Trump immediately if he won’t resign.
We’re likely living in the most dangerous time any of us have ever known.