Fear is a powerful emotion, capable of driving behavior that would be completely irrational without it. In America, it is now a legal justification for killing someone who appears threatening, whether the threat is credible or not. The same rationale fueled America’s invasion of Iraq in 2003 because we were falsely convinced it possessed weapons of mass destruction.

But fear is still the little brother (or sister) of terror, generally defined as “extreme or overwhelming fear.” Terrorism has defined the 21st century: in 2001 we watched thousands of innocent people murdered in capitalism’s greatest towers. Today, terrorist attacks and hostages create and feed murderous responses.

In 1793, French leaders stated that they would make “terror the order of the day” for opponents. The “Reign of Terror” carried out 300,000 arrests and 17,000 executions, while 10,000 died in prisons. The leaders’ efforts failed, and many shared their opponents’ fate: off with their heads. “An eye for an eye” left their nation blind and headless.

We haven’t yet come to that point in the U.S. So far, there’s no guillotine, although deportation to a dangerous foreign prison is close. But Donald Trump is intent on establishing fear during his “reign,” using king-like powers to punish politicians, ordinary people, states, and former allies. His basic message is “I can, and will, tear your life apart unless you do what I want.” It’s a message that contradicts our Constitution and uses fear to force compliance. He wants fear to be “the order of the day” for all opponents.

His reign of fear targets visa-holders, legal and illegal immigrants, and anyone who looks like one. And if there is an “administrative error?” Too bad, it can’t be fixed, a position summarized by one of Trump’s most honest and callous supporters, Steve Bannon: “If there’s some innocent gardeners in there? Hey, tough break for a swell guy.” It’s an administration willing to uproot people’s lives to instill fear.

Musk’s DOGE team delivered the same message to public and private schools, nonprofits, and government employees by canceling contracts and agreements made long before Trump’s re-election. The word of the U.S. government is now worthless. It’s an approach Trump used regularly in business, and was sued at least 60 times for violating contracts requiring payment or provision of services.

Trump’s management style is like a mob boss attacking a neighborhood or business with fire bombs, physical beatings, even murder. Then, he exerts control by saying “You want it to stop? Pay me for protection.”

The disastrous, nonsensical, and illegal tariffs (the IEEP Act of 1977 used to justify his actions makes no mention of tariffs) are similar. His actions may ruin domestic and international businesses, in hopes they will meekly come to him to “negotiate.” A recent headline read “Trump Keeps World Guessing as Tariffs Approach.” What could be more satisfying for a royal-wannabe than to see the whole world dependent on his unpredictable whims? He claims countries are lining up to negotiate, ready to “kiss” his rear end to make a deal.

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One approach to negotiations is integrative, in which two parties seek to add value and create a win-win solution. Trump has always chosen the opposite strategy, called “distributive:” it’s a zero-sum game with a winner and loser, and generally results in losing the other side’s trust, and sabotages future cooperation. It contributed to Trump filing for bankruptcy 6 times and prevented long-term partnerships. But it’s the only tool in his box, and he still fantasizes about “winning” in a world which demands alliances and partnerships.

One billionaire supporter, hedge-fund manager Bill Ackman, observed that it’s occasionally an advantage to convince the other side you’re crazy enough to sacrifice your own cause and take down both sides at once. But he also stated that by “launching a global economic war against the whole world at once, we are in the process of destroying confidence in our country as a trading partner, as a place to do business, and as a market to invest capital.” Trump’s reign of fear in international markets has a good chance of coming back to bite him in that same, prominent posterior. The problem is that it’s already devouring our jobs, earnings, investments, and retirement.

We’ve given a dangerous, unbalanced man the power to trash our lives if he wants, and he’s proven eager to exercise that power. Our principled, mass opposition is the only thing that will save us from a reign of fear becoming a reign of terror.

Allen Woods is a freelance writer, author of the Revolutionary-era historical fiction novel “The Sword and Scabbard,” and Greenfield resident. His column appears regularly on a Saturday. Comments are welcome here or at awoods2846@gmail.com.