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His internal and external strategies – ranging from the attempted coup five years ago to current actions and statements – undermine both domestic and international law. The implications are broader.

They threaten the fundamental meaning of civilization itself.

A moral purpose of any advanced culture is to stop the stronger from preying upon and using the less powerful. Otherwise, we would be trapped in a conflict of all against all where might makes right prevails.

This ideal is embedded of the nation's founding texts. This is also the heart of the global system established after WWII championed by the United States, built on collective action, democracy, fundamental freedoms, and the rule of law.

Yet, it is a delicate principle, frequently ignored by those who choose to misuse their authority. Upholding it demands that the those in charge have a sense of duty to avoid seeking immediate gains, and that the public hold them accountable when they fail.

Absolute power does not make right. It results in instability, upheaval, and hostilities.

Whenever individuals, companies, or nations that are wealthier and stronger attack and exploit those that are less so, the structure of our shared norms frays. Should such behavior are allowed to continue, the structure collapses. If not stopped, the world can descend into instability and violence. History provides ample precedent.

We now inhabit a international landscape with deepening divides. Influence and wealth are more concentrated than in recent memory. This invites the privileged to leverage their position against the weaker because they perceive themselves as untouchable.

The fortunes of certain tycoons is staggering. The power of major corporations in technology, energy, and aerospace extends over a vast portion of the world. Advanced technology is could consolidate wealth and power even more. The destructive power of the leading countries is unprecedented in human history.

Enabled by complicit legislators and an accommodating judicial body, the highest office has been transformed into the supreme and answerable-to-none entity of state power in history.

Put it all together and you see the threat.

A clear connection links previous lawless actions to current menaces. These were premised on the overconfidence of omnipotence.

One observes parallel dynamics in international affairs: in territorial invasions, in expansive ambitions, and in the worldwide exploitation by industrial titans.

Yet, raw power does not make right. It produces uncertainty, upheaval, and war.

Historical evidence demonstrates that frameworks designed to limit the powerful also safeguard them. Absent these limits, their relentless pursuit for increased control and resources in time cause their collapse – along with their enterprises, countries, or domains. And pave the way for global conflict.

This kind of disregard for rules will plague America and the global community – and indeed civilization – for years to come.