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His domestic and foreign initiatives – ranging from the attempted coup previously to current moves and statements – undermine not only domestic and international jurisprudence. The implications are broader.

These actions endanger the fundamental meaning of what we mean by.

The guiding principle of civilized society is to prevent the more powerful from attacking and exploiting the vulnerable. Without this, we could find ourselves permanently immersed in a state of nature where survival of the strongest prevails.

This principle is embedded of America’s founding documents. It’s also the heart of the modern framework of international relations championed by the United States, emphasizing collective action, democratic governance, human rights, and the legal authority.

However, it is a fragile construct, easily violated by those who seek to abuse their power. Maintaining it necessitates that the influential have enough integrity to refrain from seeking immediate gains, and that the public ensure they answer for their actions if they don't.

Absolute power does not equal right. It leads to uncertainty, upheaval, and conflict.

Every time people or corporations or countries that are richer and more powerful prey upon those that are weaker, the framework of civilization weakens. If these actions are left unchecked, the structure collapses. Without intervention, the world can plunge into chaos and war. History provides ample precedent.

Today, we live in a international landscape grown vastly more unequal. Influence and wealth are held by fewer hands than in modern history. This creates conditions for the privileged to exploit the less fortunate because they perceive themselves as untouchable.

The resources of a small group of ultra-wealthy individuals is staggering. The influence of major corporations in technology, energy, and aerospace covers a vast portion of the world. Advanced technology is could consolidate wealth and power even more. The offensive capability of the major powers is unmatched in the annals of time.

Supported by complicit legislators and a pliant supreme court, the presidency has been transformed into the supreme and answerable-to-none instrument of government in recent memory.

Combine these factors and you perceive the looming crisis.

A clear connection links previous breaches of norms to present-day provocations. Each were based on the hubris of omnipotence.

There is a similar pattern in the actions of other powers: in military conflicts, in coercive diplomacy, and in the global depredation by industrial titans.

But, unfettered might does not create right. It produces instability, upended order, and bloodshed.

The lessons of the past reveal that rules and conventions to limit the powerful also shield them. If these guardrails are removed, their endless appetite for increased control and resources ultimately cause their collapse – and with them their enterprises, countries, or domains. And pave the way for global conflict.

This kind of contempt for legal order will cast a long shadow over America and the global community – and indeed civilization – for a long time.