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The internal and external strategies – ranging from the attempted coup previously to current actions and warnings – weaken both national and global law. But that’s not all.

They jeopardize the core idea of what we mean by.

A moral purpose of civilized society is to prevent the more powerful from harming and taking advantage of the less powerful. Otherwise, we risk being permanently immersed in a conflict of all against all where survival of the strongest wins.

This concept lies at the center of the Declaration and Constitution. It is equally the foundation of the global system established after WWII advocated by the United States, built on collective action, democratic governance, human rights, and the legal authority.

However, it is a delicate construct, easily violated by those who choose to misuse their authority. Maintaining it necessitates that the influential have enough integrity to avoid seeking temporary advantages, and that the public hold them accountable should they falter.

Unchecked strength is not right. It results in turmoil, chaos, and hostilities.

Each instance people or corporations or countries that are wealthier and stronger prey upon those that are not, the fabric of our shared norms weakens. If such aggression are left unchecked, the structure collapses. If not stopped, the world can fall into instability and violence. We have seen this pattern previously.

Our current reality is a global community marked by extreme inequality. Political and economic power are increasingly centralized than in modern history. This invites the privileged to leverage their position against the weaker because they act with a sense of omnipotent.

The wealth of a handful of ultra-wealthy individuals is almost beyond comprehension. The reach of big tech, big oil, and large defense contractors spans numerous countries. Advanced technology is poised to further concentrate economic and political clout even more. The destructive power of the major powers is unmatched in human history.

Empowered by political allies and an accommodating supreme court, the highest office has been turned into the most powerful and unaccountable instrument of state power in history.

Consider this confluence and you see the threat.

An unbroken thread connects previous breaches of norms to current provocations. These were founded upon the arrogance of omnipotence.

There is a similar pattern in international affairs: in military conflicts, in coercive diplomacy, and in the rampant monopolization by powerful corporate entities.

But, unfettered might does not make right. It fosters fragility, revolution, and war.

History shows that frameworks designed to check the influential also safeguard them. Without such constraints, their endless appetite for increased control and resources in time bring them down – along with their corporations, nations, or empires. And pave the way for world war.

This blatant disregard for rules will plague America and the global community – and indeed civilized conduct – for the foreseeable future.