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The domestic and foreign policies – from the attempted coup in the past to recent incursions and warnings – erode both national and global legal frameworks. The implications are broader.

They jeopardize the very concept of what we mean by.

The guiding principle of any advanced culture is to prevent the dominant from attacking and exploiting the weaker. Failing that, we would be locked in a brutish war where might makes right could survive.

This ideal lies at the center of the Declaration and Constitution. It’s also the foundation of the postwar international order supported by the US, built on collective action, democratic governance, human rights, and the legal authority.

But, it is a vulnerable construct, often broken by those who would exploit their influence. Upholding it necessitates that the those in charge have a sense of duty to refrain from seeking temporary advantages, and that the public ensure they answer for their actions when they fail.

Absolute power does not make right. It leads to uncertainty, chaos, and hostilities.

Whenever individuals, companies, or nations that are advantaged prey upon those that are not, the framework of society frays. Should such behavior are not contained, the fabric unravels. If not stopped, the world can fall into chaos and war. We have seen this pattern previously.

Our current reality is a international landscape grown vastly more unequal. Political and economic power are more concentrated than ever before. This creates conditions for the elite to exploit the less fortunate because they act with a sense of omnipotent.

The resources of a handful of ultra-wealthy individuals is almost beyond comprehension. The reach of major corporations in technology, energy, and aerospace covers numerous countries. Artificial intelligence is could centralize resources and influence to a greater degree. The offensive capability of the leading countries is unmatched in human history.

Empowered by political allies and an accommodating high court, the executive office has been transformed into the most dominant and unchecked entity of the state in recent memory.

Put it all together and you see the threat.

A clear connection links previous breaches of norms to present-day provocations. Each were founded upon the arrogance of invincibility.

You see a similar pattern in the actions of other powers: in wars of aggression, in strategic threats, and in the global depredation by massive conglomerates.

However, unfettered might does not make right. It produces uncertainty, revolution, and war.

The lessons of the past reveal that rules and conventions to check the powerful also shield them. Without such constraints, their endless appetite for greater influence and riches eventually lead to their downfall – taking down their enterprises, countries, or domains. And threaten global conflict.

This kind of lawlessness will cast a long shadow over international stability – and the very idea of civilized conduct – for the foreseeable future.