The spectacular falling out last week between U.S. President Donald Trump and Elon Musk, the billionaire who became one of his closest aides, put the spotlight on two dangerous developments affecting U.S. national security.
The breakup provided Schadenfreude to the two men’s critics and delivered entertainment value to social media audiences across the world. But it also revealed crucial vulnerabilities deriving from the ways in which important elements of U.S. military and intelligence operations, among others, have been personalized in both men’s hands. While this is particularly alarming for the U.S., its repercussions extend beyond U.S. borders, to U.S. allies and others.
When the world’s most powerful man and the world’s wealthiest entrepreneur started lobbing verbal missiles at each other from the social media platforms they each own, the crossfire included threats with serious geopolitical consequences. It may have looked like a high-profile schoolyard scuffle, but the two people involved are so powerful that the clash was far more consequential.