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His internal and external initiatives – from the attempted coup in the past to recent incursions and warnings – erode both domestic and international legal frameworks. The implications are broader.

These actions jeopardize the core idea of what we mean by.

A moral purpose of civilized society is to prevent the stronger from harming and taking advantage of the weaker. Without this, we risk being trapped in a state of nature where only the fittest prevails.

This concept lies at the center of the nation's founding texts. It’s also the foundation of the postwar international order advocated by the United States, which stresses international cooperation, democratic governance, individual liberties, and the rule of law.

However, it is a fragile construct, often broken by those who choose to misuse their influence. Upholding it demands that the those in charge have the moral fortitude to refrain from seeking temporary advantages, and that the public demand responsibility when they fail.

Unchecked strength is not right. It leads to instability, disruption, and conflict.

Whenever people or corporations or countries that are advantaged target and use those that are not, the structure of society weakens. If such aggression are not contained, the structure collapses. If not stopped, the world can fall into instability and violence. It has happened before.

We now inhabit a global community grown vastly more unequal. Influence and wealth are held by fewer hands than ever before. This creates conditions for the powerful to take advantage of the less fortunate because they act with a sense of above the law.

The wealth of certain ultra-wealthy individuals is almost beyond comprehension. The reach of major corporations in technology, energy, and aerospace extends over much of the globe. AI is likely to centralize resources and influence to a greater degree. The destructive power of the world's largest nations is without parallel in the annals of time.

Enabled by political allies and a sympathetic judicial body, the presidency has been turned into the most powerful and unaccountable instrument of the state in recent memory.

Combine these factors and you see the danger.

A clear connection links earlier breaches of norms to current menaces. Each were founded upon the arrogance of omnipotence.

There is much the same in other global contexts: in wars of aggression, in strategic threats, and in the rampant monopolization by powerful corporate entities.

But, strength without restraint does not create right. It produces instability, upended order, and bloodshed.

The lessons of the past reveal that laws and norms to limit the powerful also shield them. Absent these limits, their relentless pursuit for increased control and resources ultimately cause their collapse – along with their corporations, nations, or empires. And threaten world war.

This blatant disregard for rules will plague international stability – and indeed civilization – for the foreseeable future.