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His domestic and foreign policies – from the challenge to the democratic process in the past to recent moves and statements – erode both domestic and international law. The implications are broader.

They threaten the fundamental meaning of what we mean by.

The moral purpose of civilized society is to prevent the stronger from attacking and exploiting the less powerful. Otherwise, we risk being locked in a conflict of all against all where survival of the strongest wins.

This principle is central of the nation's founding texts. It is equally the core of the global system established after WWII championed by the United States, emphasizing collective action, popular sovereignty, human rights, and the supremacy of law.

But, it is a fragile principle, easily violated by those who choose to misuse their influence. Preserving it necessitates that the powerful have enough integrity to abstain from seeking temporary advantages, and that the public hold them accountable should they falter.

Absolute power does not equal right. It makes for turmoil, chaos, and conflict.

Each instance entities that are wealthier and stronger target and use those that are not, the fabric of society weakens. Should such behavior are allowed to continue, the system fails. Without intervention, the world can plunge into chaos and war. We have seen this pattern previously.

We now inhabit a society and world marked by extreme inequality. Political and economic power are held by fewer hands than in modern history. This invites the elite to exploit the disadvantaged because they feel omnipotent.

The fortunes of certain ultra-wealthy individuals is almost beyond comprehension. The power of global industrial giants covers much of the globe. Artificial intelligence is poised to consolidate wealth and power to a greater degree. The destructive power of the leading countries is unmatched in recorded history.

Supported by complicit legislators and a pliant high court, the presidency has been turned into the most powerful and unaccountable entity of the state in history.

Consider this confluence and you see the looming crisis.

An unbroken thread ties earlier breaches of norms to current threats. Each were founded upon the hubris of absolute power.

One observes much the same in the actions of other powers: in wars of aggression, in strategic threats, and in the worldwide exploitation by industrial titans.

However, unfettered might does not establish right. It makes for uncertainty, upheaval, and war.

Historical evidence demonstrates that frameworks designed to check the powerful also safeguard them. If these guardrails are removed, their insatiable demands for more power and wealth eventually bring them down – along with their enterprises, countries, or domains. And pave the way for world war.

This kind of lawlessness will plague America and the global community – and the very idea of a rules-based order – for years to come.