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His national and international policies – ranging from the effort to overturn the election in the past to recent moves and warnings – undermine both national and global law. However, the issue goes deeper.

They threaten the very concept of civilization itself.

The ethical foundation of civilized society is to prevent the dominant from harming and taking advantage of the less powerful. Without this, we risk being permanently immersed in a state of nature where might makes right prevails.

This ideal is embedded of America’s founding documents. It’s also the heart of the postwar international order supported by the US, emphasizing multilateralism, democratic governance, human rights, and the rule of law.

But, it is a fragile construct, frequently ignored by those who choose to misuse their authority. Preserving it demands that the those in charge have enough integrity to abstain from seeking short-term wins, and that the rest of us demand responsibility if they don't.

Unchecked strength does not make right. It makes for instability, chaos, and conflict.

Each instance people or corporations or countries that are advantaged target and use those that are less so, the fabric of civilization weakens. Should such behavior are left unchecked, the system fails. If not stopped, the world can descend into chaos and war. History provides ample precedent.

Our current reality is a society and world grown vastly more unequal. Political and economic power are more concentrated than ever before. This encourages the elite to leverage their position against the less fortunate because they perceive themselves as above the law.

The wealth of a handful of billionaires is staggering. The reach of big tech, big oil, and large defense contractors spans a vast portion of the world. AI is likely to centralize wealth and power even more. The destructive power of the leading countries is without parallel in recorded history.

Enabled by a compliant faction and a sympathetic supreme court, the highest office has been turned into the most dominant and unchecked instrument of government in the modern era.

Put it all together and you perceive the threat.

A direct line ties past lawless actions to present-day provocations. Each were premised on the hubris of omnipotence.

You see parallel dynamics in other global contexts: in military conflicts, in strategic threats, and in the worldwide exploitation by powerful corporate entities.

However, unfettered might does not make right. It makes for uncertainty, upended order, and armed conflict.

Historical evidence demonstrates that frameworks designed to limit the influential also protect them. Without such constraints, their insatiable demands for greater influence and riches ultimately lead to their downfall – and with them their enterprises, countries, or domains. And pave the way for world war.

This kind of lawlessness will plague international stability – and indeed civilized conduct – for a long time.