Political systems can create moral environments in which certain behaviors become increasingly difficult to perceive as immoral.

One of the more disturbing things about political conflict isn't simply that governments can persuade people to support a particular policy. It's that, over time, they can change the moral framework through which people perceive that policy in the first place.

Take a society living under a constant sense of existential threat. If people are repeatedly told that their survival is at stake, “security” can gradually become a moral trump card. Actions that would normally be considered unacceptable can be reframed as necessary, unavoidable, or the lesser evil.

Then comes dehumanization. When an entire population is repeatedly described as terrorists, collaborators, threats, or collectively responsible for the actions of an armed group, individuals can stop being perceived as individuals. Once that happens, harming civilians becomes psychologically easier to rationalize.

Language plays a role too. Terms like “collateral damage,” “neutralization,” or “relocation” can create distance between the words and the human reality they describe. The more sanitized the language becomes, the easier it is to discuss suffering as an administrative problem rather than a moral one.

Repetition also matters. Something that initially shocks people can become familiar. Familiarity can become normalization, and normalization can eventually become acceptance.

And this isn't necessarily the result of some master propaganda operation. Politicians, state media, commentators, social media, peers, and institutions can all reinforce the same worldview. Eventually, people may no longer need to be persuaded. The surrounding culture does the persuading for them.

There is also a powerful identity component. When political beliefs become tied to national identity, admitting that your own side has crossed a moral line can feel like betraying your country or community. People therefore have an incentive to rationalize what happened rather than reconsider the underlying premise.

The result can be a feedback loop:

fear → threat perception → exceptional measures → normalization → dehumanization → greater tolerance for violence → even greater threat perception.

None of this requires everyone in the society to become cruel or immoral. It only requires a political environment capable of repeatedly pushing the boundaries of what some people are willing to accept.

And that's why I think political systems should be judged not only by the policies they produce, but also by the kind of moral environment they cultivate in their population.

A society can become accustomed to almost anything if it is repeatedly told that it is necessary.