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The internal and external policies – from the challenge to the democratic process previously to current actions and statements – erode both national and global jurisprudence. However, the issue goes deeper.

They endanger the fundamental meaning of civilization itself.

A ethical foundation of civilized society is to prevent the more powerful from preying upon and using the weaker. Failing that, we risk being trapped in a conflict of all against all where might makes right prevails.

This principle lies at the center of America’s founding documents. It’s also the heart of the modern framework of international relations advocated by the US, emphasizing collective action, democracy, fundamental freedoms, and the rule of law.

But, it is a vulnerable principle, often broken by those who choose to misuse their influence. Upholding it demands that the those in charge have enough integrity to avoid seeking short-term wins, and that the public hold them accountable should they falter.

Unchecked strength is not right. It results in turmoil, upheaval, and conflict.

Each instance entities that are wealthier and stronger prey upon those that are not, the framework of our shared norms weakens. Should such behavior are not contained, the system fails. Without intervention, the world can plunge into instability and violence. It has happened before.

Our current reality is a international landscape with deepening divides. Influence and wealth are held by fewer hands than ever before. This encourages the privileged to take advantage of the weaker because they act with a sense of omnipotent.

The wealth of a small group of billionaires is almost beyond comprehension. The reach of major corporations in technology, energy, and aerospace spans much of the globe. Artificial intelligence is could further concentrate resources and influence further. The offensive capability of the world's largest nations is unmatched in recorded history.

Empowered by a compliant faction and a sympathetic judicial body, the presidency has been turned into the supreme and answerable-to-none entity of state power in recent memory.

Combine these factors and you see the looming crisis.

An unbroken thread connects earlier lawless actions to ongoing threats. Both were based on the arrogance of absolute power.

There is a similar pattern in other global contexts: in territorial invasions, in coercive diplomacy, and in the global depredation by powerful corporate entities.

However, unfettered might does not establish right. It fosters uncertainty, upended order, and bloodshed.

Historical evidence demonstrates that frameworks designed to limit the powerful also safeguard them. If these guardrails are removed, their insatiable demands for more power and wealth ultimately lead to their downfall – and with them their enterprises, countries, or domains. And threaten global conflict.

This kind of disregard for rules will haunt international stability – and the very idea of a rules-based order – for a long time.