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His internal and external strategies – ranging from the challenge to the democratic process five years ago to latest incursions and warnings – weaken both domestic and international law. But that’s not all.

They endanger the fundamental meaning of civilization itself.

The guiding principle of civilized society is to forestall the stronger from harming and taking advantage of the weaker. Without this, we would be locked in a brutish war where only the fittest wins.

This concept lies at the center of the nation's founding texts. It is equally the heart of the postwar international order supported by the US, emphasizing international cooperation, popular sovereignty, individual liberties, and the legal authority.

Yet, it is a vulnerable ideal, frequently ignored by those who would exploit their influence. Upholding it necessitates that the those in charge have the moral fortitude to abstain from seeking short-term wins, and that society demand responsibility when they fail.

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

Every time people or corporations or countries that are richer and more powerful prey upon those that are not, the framework of society weakens. If such aggression are allowed to continue, the system fails. Allowing it to persist, the world can plunge into chaos and war. History provides ample precedent.

Our current reality is a society and world marked by extreme inequality. Influence and wealth are held by fewer hands than in modern history. This creates conditions for the elite to exploit the disadvantaged because they act with a sense of untouchable.

The wealth of certain billionaires is staggering. The power of big tech, big oil, and large defense contractors spans much of the globe. Artificial intelligence is likely to further concentrate resources and influence further. The military might of the world's largest nations is unmatched in recorded history.

Enabled by political allies and an accommodating high court, the presidency has been transformed into the most dominant and unchecked entity of the state in history.

Put it all together and you see the threat.

A clear connection ties past breaches of norms to current provocations. Both were premised on the arrogance of omnipotence.

You see much the same in the actions of other powers: in territorial invasions, in coercive diplomacy, and in the rampant monopolization by massive conglomerates.

But, unfettered might does not create right. It makes for instability, upheaval, and bloodshed.

The lessons of the past reveal that frameworks designed to limit the powerful also protect them. Absent these limits, their endless appetite for increased control and resources in time lead to their downfall – taking down their corporations, nations, or empires. And risk world war.

This blatant lawlessness will plague America and the global community – and the very idea of civilization – for years to come.