There is a growing threat of martial law in the US as race riots continue. 

They aren't violent protests, just a passive statement about racial inequality and a need for change.

Protest is, after all, a cornerstone of democracy and where it is allowed to run its course it vents anger instead of building it up.

As it happens, the BLM protests that started in America following the George Floyd death, have become the biggest in US history. 

The movement now numbers close on 100,000 active protesters. 

But, as these things go, sustaining it is inherently difficult and that's why shrewd politicians prefer to not fan flames. 

It can surge into a dangerous melee if law enforcement is too provocative, but will cool itself down if left to be.

And national interest or the focus of the press will naturally shift the spotlight to other news stories, to pour water on the movement.  

Maybe it won't fully go away, but police action won't change that, ever. Indeed, organizers generally wish for some action. 

But if it doesn't go away it could evolve into a more constructive debate that will play out off the streets. 

So, sending in Federal marshals, while being consistent with President Trump's tough guy image, may make matters far worse. 

That said, for a president whose back is to the wall, he may resort to desperate measures. 

After all, if protests flame up again, that will play to the notorious insecurities of US voters, who may then lean to a strong man. 

But aside from that, electoral analysts are increasingly concerned with Trump's preemptive narrative. 

He knows he is in trouble and is starting to spin up an alternative narrative about electoral unfairness, but not to save face.

If it was just that, okay. But the fear is that he will not concede in November and could ramp up martial law to protect himself. 

I have long worried about Trump's very real ability to usurp the constitution, but could he do so to cling to power. 

Many have done so before, all over the world. None have lasted indefinitely, but all have done terrible damage to societies. 

Its a very real concern. Trump has a core of support representing about 40% of Americans who include hard-core elements. 

The tensions could drag them onto the streets and into a nasty standoff that could spiral into a serious breakdown. 

I don't want to be political or even emphasize the US, so I am worried about how such patterns could proliferate. 

The bible predicts a coming world order that, reading between the lines, will usurp global norms and existing order. 

If you think of the rise of Nazism, it was fueled by social breakdown and economic crisis. That is their playground. 

And with Covid-19 having already created fertile ground for major social upheaval, the world is lurching to a dangerous place.

Nationalists are sensing a moment and crawling out of the woodwork: China has clamped down in Hong Kong, Turkey has claimed the Hagia Sofia as a mosque, Israel has annexed West Bank territory and Putin has set himself up as the lifetime boss of Russia. 

I just think that unless the world recovers from Covid-19 quickly and constructively, secondary factors may come into play. 

And as Lincoln once said, while the original dispute was long resolved, secondary factors kept the war going for four years. 

(c) Peter Missing @ me2u2all.blogspot.com