May 8, 2026 at 4:00 pm Updated May 8, 2026 at 4:00 pm Although it has been true since the pharaohs of ancient Egypt and even earlier, I still find it appalling that pain and tragedy can be inflicted on millions of people purely due to the whims, impulses and vanity of a single man, if that one man happens to stand on top of the power pyramid. Where once a single ruler might have brought chaos or calamity to one country or one empire, since at least the mid-20th century, we have seen men of power with the means to shake up the entire planet. American presidents have been called the most powerful individuals in the world ever since the United States became a superpower at the end of the Second World War. They have all done some planet shaking, but, for the most part they have exercised their vast power prudently, if not always wisely. Now, though, we have a president who revels in being the Earth’s alpha male.…