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His domestic and foreign policies – including the attempted coup in the past to latest moves and statements – weaken both national and global jurisprudence. The implications are broader.

They endanger the core idea of a civilized world.

The ethical foundation of a functioning society is to prevent the dominant from preying upon and using the less powerful. Failing that, we would be permanently immersed in a conflict of all against all where only the fittest could survive.

This ideal lies at the center of the Declaration and Constitution. It is equally the foundation of the modern framework of international relations supported by the US, which stresses multilateralism, popular sovereignty, individual liberties, and the rule of law.

However, it is a vulnerable construct, frequently ignored by those who seek to abuse their power. Upholding it necessitates that the those in charge have enough integrity to avoid seeking short-term wins, and that society hold them accountable if they don't.

Unchecked strength does not make right. It results in uncertainty, disruption, and war.

Whenever individuals, companies, or nations that are advantaged target and use those that are weaker, the fabric of our shared norms frays. Should such behavior are left unchecked, the fabric unravels. Allowing it to persist, the world can descend into instability and violence. History provides ample precedent.

We now inhabit a global community marked by extreme inequality. Influence and wealth are increasingly centralized than in recent memory. This invites the elite to exploit the less fortunate because they feel above the law.

The resources of a handful of ultra-wealthy individuals is difficult to fathom. The reach of major corporations in technology, energy, and aerospace covers numerous countries. Advanced technology is poised to further concentrate economic and political clout to a greater degree. The destructive power of the leading countries is unprecedented in recorded history.

Enabled by a compliant faction and an accommodating high court, the executive office has been transformed into the most dominant and unchecked instrument of state power in recent memory.

Put it all together and you see the danger.

A direct line connects past breaches of norms to ongoing menaces. Both were premised on the hubris of omnipotence.

One observes much the same in the actions of other powers: in wars of aggression, in strategic threats, and in the global depredation by massive conglomerates.

Yet, unfettered might does not create right. It produces instability, upended order, and bloodshed.

History shows that laws and norms to constrain the powerful also shield them. Absent these limits, their endless appetite for increased control and resources eventually bring them down – along with their corporations, nations, or empires. And risk international catastrophe.

This kind of contempt for legal order will cast a long shadow over international stability – and the very idea of civilized conduct – for a long time.