Who Do You Govern For? Manifesto Of An Ordinary Person In A World Where States Defend Themselves While People Are Lost - Essay

In an essay framed as an “ordinary-person test,” retired Col. (Dr.) Cătălin Balog argues that a defining political crisis is the rupture between people, power, and the state—evaluated by whether major decisions improve everyday lives. The piece cites stalled human-development progress and low trust in government, including OECD findings that only 40% of respondents report high or moderately high trust, and 117.8 million people forcibly displaced. Drawing on examples from Romania’s inflation and deficits, Ukraine’s civilian casualties, Russia’s war costs, Gaza’s water insecurity, Iran’s 66% inflation, the U.S. approval ratings, and China’s youth unemployment, the author urges leaders to justify costs and accept correction.