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His domestic and foreign strategies – ranging from the effort to overturn the election in the past to current moves and threats – weaken not only national and global legal frameworks. However, the issue goes deeper.

They jeopardize the core idea of civilization itself.

The moral purpose of a functioning society is to prevent the more powerful from harming and taking advantage of the weaker. Failing that, we risk being trapped in a brutish war where only the fittest prevails.

This ideal is central of the Declaration and Constitution. It is equally the heart of the modern framework of international relations supported by the United States, emphasizing collective action, democratic governance, fundamental freedoms, and the supremacy of law.

Yet, it is a delicate construct, frequently ignored by those who seek to abuse their authority. Maintaining it necessitates that the those in charge have enough integrity to avoid seeking temporary advantages, and that the rest of us ensure they answer for their actions if they don't.

Unchecked strength is not right. It makes for turmoil, disruption, and conflict.

Every time entities that are wealthier and stronger target and use those that are weaker, the structure of our shared norms weakens. If these actions are left unchecked, the structure collapses. If not stopped, the world can descend into disorder and conflict. We have seen this pattern previously.

We now inhabit a society and world with deepening divides. Political and economic power are increasingly centralized than in modern history. This creates conditions for the powerful to exploit the weaker because they perceive themselves as omnipotent.

The resources of a handful of billionaires is almost beyond comprehension. The reach of global industrial giants covers a vast portion of the world. AI is likely to consolidate resources and influence even more. The offensive capability of the leading countries is unprecedented in the annals of time.

Enabled by a compliant faction and a pliant judicial body, the executive office has been turned into the most powerful and unaccountable instrument of the state in the modern era.

Combine these factors and you grasp the threat.

A direct line ties earlier lawless actions to current provocations. These were based on the hubris of absolute power.

One observes a similar pattern in international affairs: in territorial invasions, in coercive diplomacy, and in the worldwide exploitation by industrial titans.

But, strength without restraint does not create right. It fosters uncertainty, upended order, and armed conflict.

Historical evidence demonstrates that rules and conventions to limit the influential also shield them. If these guardrails are removed, their insatiable demands for increased control and resources eventually cause their collapse – and with them their corporations, nations, or empires. And risk international catastrophe.

Such lawlessness will plague international stability – and indeed a rules-based order – for a long time.