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His domestic and foreign strategies – from the attempted coup in the past to recent actions and warnings – erode not only domestic and international law. However, the issue goes deeper.

These actions endanger the core idea of a civilized world.

A ethical foundation of civilized society is to forestall the more powerful from harming and taking advantage of the weaker. Otherwise, we would be permanently immersed in a conflict of all against all where only the fittest prevails.

This concept is central of the nation's founding texts. This is also the foundation of the modern framework of international relations supported by the US, which stresses international cooperation, democracy, fundamental freedoms, and the supremacy of law.

Yet, it is a vulnerable principle, frequently ignored by those who would exploit their authority. Upholding it requires that the influential have the moral fortitude to abstain from seeking temporary advantages, and that the rest of us ensure they answer for their actions if they don't.

Absolute power is not right. It makes for instability, chaos, and war.

Every time entities that are wealthier and stronger attack and exploit those that are less so, the fabric of civilization frays. If these actions are left unchecked, the system fails. If not stopped, the world can descend into chaos and war. History provides ample precedent.

Today, we live in a society and world grown vastly more unequal. Influence and wealth are increasingly centralized than in modern history. This invites the elite to exploit the less fortunate because they perceive themselves as omnipotent.

The fortunes of a handful of billionaires is difficult to fathom. The power of big tech, big oil, and large defense contractors covers a vast portion of the world. AI is could further concentrate wealth and power to a greater degree. The destructive power of the leading countries is unmatched in recorded history.

Empowered by political allies and an accommodating judicial body, the presidency has been made into the most powerful and unaccountable instrument of the state in the modern era.

Put it all together and you see the looming crisis.

A clear connection connects past breaches of norms to present-day provocations. Each were founded upon the hubris of omnipotence.

There is parallel dynamics in international affairs: in territorial invasions, in expansive ambitions, and in the worldwide exploitation by powerful corporate entities.

But, strength without restraint does not make right. It fosters instability, revolution, and war.

The lessons of the past reveal that rules and conventions to limit the powerful also protect them. Absent these limits, their insatiable demands for greater influence and riches eventually cause their collapse – along with their corporations, nations, or empires. And threaten world war.

This blatant lawlessness will plague international stability – and indeed civilization – for a long time.