In response to a headline couple days ago over the disappearing edge, some questions:
Does politics really stop at the water's edge?
Or should one ask the opposite question?
Does political polarization generate conflict domestically and then internationally? Does political polarization reflect deep-seated anti-democratic tendency of the mind?

"In the many discussions I had with colleagues, friends, and family members about the functioning of our society, I noticed that most of them were without exception, in full support of basic democratic principles of freedom of expression, free elections,
social justice, and equal rights. However, when it came to politics per se, discussions often became very heated, and many of my discussants, including myself, impressed me as sticking firmly and sometimes even rigidly to just one, exclusive political
position, to the point that they became intolerant or even aggressive toward others with dissenting points of view. And it often surprised me that people who used to be so warm and lovely within their familiar social circles could become cold and
heartless when it came to individuals and groups beyond their limited horizon. What puzzled me was the following question: Can democratic and undemocratic tendencies live together in the same mind? I discovered that people who sincerely approve of
democratic principles are also subject to deeply rooted human motives that limit the realization of these principles and even contradict them. One of those principles is the tendency to use, under particular conditions, forms of power that limit the
potential of fellow human beings (see discussion of the power-holder, in Chapter 1). Another one is the tendency to hold tight to exclusive truth pretensions (see discussion of the truth-holder, in Chapter 2). Evidence of this kind led me to the insight
that the potential of democracy can unfold only if we realize that our minds are subject to anti-democratic tendencies. The fertile soil of democracy lives in the same mind where its threats are contradicting and counteracting it. Becoming aware of this
contradiction, I realized that a democratic society can only be vital if it confronts the anti-democratic tendencies of its citizens. This awareness led me to emphasize the importance of a learning process that can be characterized as “personalizing
democracy.” I believe that a democratic society can only fully realize its potential if its basic principles, rather than being endorsed as abstract notions, are alive in the depths of the minds of its citizens and are practiced in their everyday lives.
"
( Inner Democracy: Empowering the Mind Against a Polarizing Society)

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