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The domestic and foreign policies – from the attempted coup previously to recent moves and warnings – weaken not only domestic and international law. But that’s not all.

They threaten the very concept of what we mean by.

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

This ideal is central of America’s founding documents. This is also the foundation of the modern framework of international relations championed by the America, emphasizing international cooperation, popular sovereignty, individual liberties, and the rule of law.

But, it is a fragile principle, often broken by those who would exploit their influence. Maintaining it necessitates that the those in charge have the moral fortitude to avoid seeking short-term wins, and that the public demand responsibility if they don't.

Unfettered might does not equal right. It makes for turmoil, upheaval, and hostilities.

Whenever people or corporations or countries that are wealthier and stronger attack and exploit those that are weaker, the fabric of society unravels. If these actions are allowed to continue, the structure collapses. If not stopped, the world can plunge into instability and violence. It has happened before.

We now inhabit a global community grown vastly more unequal. Authority and resources are increasingly centralized than in modern history. This encourages the elite to exploit the less fortunate because they act with a sense of omnipotent.

The fortunes of a handful of billionaires is almost beyond comprehension. The influence of big tech, big oil, and large defense contractors spans numerous countries. Advanced technology is likely to further concentrate resources and influence further. The military might of the world's largest nations is unmatched in the annals of time.

Supported by a compliant faction and a sympathetic judicial body, the highest office has been turned into the most powerful and unaccountable agent of government in recent memory.

Put it all together and you see the threat.

An unbroken thread connects past lawless actions to current provocations. These were founded upon the hubris of invincibility.

You see parallel dynamics in the actions of other powers: in military conflicts, in expansive ambitions, and in the worldwide exploitation by massive conglomerates.

But, strength without restraint does not make right. It makes for uncertainty, upheaval, and armed conflict.

The lessons of the past reveal that laws and norms to limit the powerful also protect them. Absent these limits, their relentless pursuit for greater influence and riches eventually lead to their downfall – and with them their enterprises, countries, or domains. And threaten global conflict.

This kind of lawlessness will cast a long shadow over the nation and the world – and the very idea of civilized conduct – for the foreseeable future.