In a recent article for The Atlantic, Graeme Wood writes:

Mohammed bin Salman (…) once ubiquitous, on a never-ending publicity tour to promote his plan to modernize his father’s kingdom…

He has also created a climate of fear unprecedented in Saudi history. Saudi Arabia has never been a free country. But even the most oppressive of MBS’s predecessors, his uncle King Faisal, never presided over an atmosphere like that of the present day,

Some fear that if he keeps getting his way, the modernized Saudi Arabia will oppress in ways the old Saudi Arabia never imagined.

I cannot find a better expression to describe what governments all over the world, whether intentionally (autocracies) or unintentionally (stupidity), are creating: A Climate of Fear.

Fear of…

• Heatwaves, fires out of control.
• lack of food and precious resources, broken supply chains, energy restrictions, and inflation out of control.
• pandemics out of control.
• Autocrats out of control.
• Add what-you-most-fear out of control.

Yes, it is complex.

But instead of desperately looking for new ways to manage complexity, we prefer to turn a blind eye and enjoy the coloured deep field images composed with data from the invisible (for us, humans) infrared spectrum coming from the new James Webb telescope.

There are a plenty of variables beyond our control out there… that’s for sure. So be obedient, comply with the law, pay your taxes, make yourself at home and enjoy our warm climate of fear.

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Featured Image: Vladimir Putin meets with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on October 14, 2019. Alexey Nikolsky/Getty Images via Business Insider