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His domestic and foreign policies – ranging from the attempted coup in the past to current incursions and threats – erode not only national and global jurisprudence. But that’s not all.

These actions threaten the very concept of a civilized world.

A ethical foundation of civilized society is to forestall the stronger from preying upon and using the vulnerable. Otherwise, we risk being locked in a brutish war where survival of the strongest prevails.

This ideal is central of the nation's founding texts. It’s also the core of the modern framework of international relations championed by the United States, emphasizing international cooperation, democracy, fundamental freedoms, and the legal authority.

But, it is a vulnerable ideal, frequently ignored by those who seek to abuse their authority. Maintaining it demands that the those in charge have a sense of duty to abstain from seeking temporary advantages, and that society demand responsibility should they falter.

Unfettered might does not make right. It results in instability, chaos, and war.

Every time people or corporations or countries that are wealthier and stronger target and use those that are less so, the fabric of our shared norms frays. If these actions are not contained, the structure collapses. If not stopped, the world can fall into disorder and conflict. It has happened before.

We now inhabit a society and world grown vastly more unequal. Political and economic power are more concentrated than in modern history. This invites the privileged to exploit the disadvantaged because they feel above the law.

The wealth of a small group of billionaires is staggering. The influence of big tech, big oil, and large defense contractors spans numerous countries. Artificial intelligence is poised to consolidate resources and influence even more. The offensive capability of the leading countries is unmatched in human history.

Empowered by a compliant faction and a pliant supreme court, the presidency has been transformed into the supreme and answerable-to-none instrument of state power in history.

Combine these factors and you see the looming crisis.

An unbroken thread ties past breaches of norms to current menaces. These were founded upon the hubris of absolute power.

You see parallel dynamics in international affairs: in military conflicts, in expansive ambitions, and in the rampant monopolization by massive conglomerates.

But, unfettered might does not create right. It produces instability, upheaval, and war.

Historical evidence demonstrates that laws and norms to constrain the influential also protect them. Absent these limits, their relentless pursuit for more power and wealth ultimately lead to their downfall – and with them their corporations, nations, or empires. And threaten global conflict.

This kind of lawlessness will plague the nation and the world – and indeed a rules-based order – for a long time.