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His domestic and foreign initiatives – ranging from the challenge to the democratic process in the past to latest moves and threats – undermine not only national and global law. But that’s not all.

These actions jeopardize the fundamental meaning of a civilized world.

A guiding principle of a functioning society is to prevent the stronger from preying upon and using the less powerful. Without this, we could find ourselves locked in a conflict of all against all where only the fittest wins.

This ideal is embedded of America’s founding documents. This is also the heart of the global system established after WWII advocated by the America, built on international cooperation, democracy, fundamental freedoms, and the legal authority.

Yet, it is a vulnerable construct, often broken by those who choose to misuse their authority. Preserving it necessitates that the those in charge have the moral fortitude to avoid seeking temporary advantages, and that society ensure they answer for their actions when they fail.

Unfettered might is not right. It results in instability, disruption, and conflict.

Whenever entities that are advantaged target and use those that are less so, the framework of our shared norms frays. Should such behavior are left unchecked, the system fails. If not stopped, the world can plunge into disorder and conflict. We have seen this pattern previously.

We now inhabit a society and world marked by extreme inequality. Authority and resources are held by fewer hands than in recent memory. This encourages the elite to take advantage of the weaker because they feel above the law.

The wealth of a small group of ultra-wealthy individuals is staggering. The power of global industrial giants extends over much of the globe. AI is poised to centralize wealth and power further. The offensive capability of the major powers is unprecedented in the annals of time.

Supported by political allies and a pliant judicial body, the executive office has been made into the most powerful and unaccountable entity of government in recent memory.

Combine these factors and you grasp the danger.

A clear connection links previous transgressions to ongoing menaces. These were premised on the hubris of invincibility.

One observes much the same in other global contexts: in military conflicts, in coercive diplomacy, and in the worldwide exploitation by industrial titans.

Yet, raw power does not establish right. It fosters fragility, revolution, and war.

The lessons of the past reveal that frameworks designed to constrain the powerful also protect them. Without such constraints, their relentless pursuit for more power and wealth eventually lead to their downfall – along with their corporations, nations, or empires. And risk global conflict.

Such disregard for rules will haunt international stability – and indeed civilization – for the foreseeable future.