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His internal and external strategies – ranging from the attempted coup in the past to recent incursions and threats – erode both domestic and international jurisprudence. The implications are broader.

They endanger the core idea of a civilized world.

A moral purpose of civilized society is to forestall the stronger from preying upon and using the less powerful. Without this, we would be trapped in a state of nature where might makes right could survive.

This concept lies at the center of America’s founding documents. It is equally the core of the modern framework of international relations advocated by the America, which stresses international cooperation, popular sovereignty, individual liberties, and the legal authority.

Yet, it is a delicate principle, frequently ignored by those who seek to abuse their authority. Upholding it demands that the powerful have the moral fortitude to avoid seeking immediate gains, and that society hold them accountable when they fail.

Absolute power does not make right. It makes for turmoil, upheaval, and hostilities.

Each instance individuals, companies, or nations that are wealthier and stronger attack and exploit those that are not, the framework of our shared norms weakens. If these actions are left unchecked, the fabric unravels. If not stopped, the world can plunge into chaos and war. History provides ample precedent.

We now inhabit a society and world grown vastly more unequal. Authority and resources are more concentrated than ever before. This invites the elite to exploit the disadvantaged because they perceive themselves as above the law.

The resources of certain ultra-wealthy individuals is difficult to fathom. The reach of big tech, big oil, and large defense contractors extends over much of the globe. Advanced technology is could centralize wealth and power further. The offensive capability of the world's largest nations is unprecedented in the annals of time.

Empowered by political allies and a sympathetic judicial body, the executive office has been transformed into the supreme and answerable-to-none instrument of state power in recent memory.

Consider this confluence and you see the danger.

A clear connection connects previous lawless actions to ongoing threats. These were based on the overconfidence of absolute power.

There is parallel dynamics in international affairs: in wars of aggression, in expansive ambitions, and in the global depredation by industrial titans.

However, strength without restraint does not create right. It makes for instability, upheaval, and bloodshed.

The lessons of the past reveal that laws and norms to check the powerful also shield them. Without such constraints, their relentless pursuit for increased control and resources in time bring them down – and with them their corporations, nations, or empires. And pave the way for global conflict.

Such lawlessness will haunt America and the global community – and the very idea of civilization – for years to come.