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The internal and external policies – ranging from the attempted coup five years ago to current moves and statements – undermine not only domestic and international legal frameworks. But that’s not all.

They jeopardize the core idea of a civilized world.

The ethical foundation of civilized society is to stop the dominant from preying upon and using the less powerful. Failing that, we risk being locked in a brutish war where survival of the strongest prevails.

This principle lies at the center of the Declaration and Constitution. It’s also the heart of the global system established after WWII advocated by the America, emphasizing collective action, democracy, individual liberties, and the supremacy of law.

Yet, it is a fragile ideal, often broken by those who choose to misuse their influence. Maintaining it necessitates that the influential have a sense of duty to refrain from seeking temporary advantages, and that the public ensure they answer for their actions should they falter.

Absolute power does not make right. It makes for turmoil, chaos, and war.

Each instance individuals, companies, or nations that are advantaged target and use those that are less so, the fabric of society weakens. Should such behavior are not contained, the system fails. Allowing it to persist, the world can fall into instability and violence. It has happened before.

Our current reality is a international landscape grown vastly more unequal. Political and economic power are more concentrated than ever before. This creates conditions for the elite to take advantage of the less fortunate because they act with a sense of above the law.

The fortunes of certain tycoons is staggering. The power of major corporations in technology, energy, and aerospace spans a vast portion of the world. Artificial intelligence is could consolidate resources and influence further. The destructive power of the leading countries is without parallel in recorded history.

Empowered by political allies and a pliant high court, the presidency has been made into the most dominant and unchecked agent of government in the modern era.

Consider this confluence and you grasp the threat.

A direct line connects earlier lawless actions to present-day provocations. Both were founded upon the hubris of omnipotence.

There is a similar pattern in other global contexts: in territorial invasions, in expansive ambitions, and in the worldwide exploitation by industrial titans.

However, raw power does not make right. It fosters fragility, revolution, and war.

History shows that laws and norms to check the influential also safeguard them. Absent these limits, their insatiable demands for greater influence and riches eventually bring them down – and with them their enterprises, countries, or domains. And risk international catastrophe.

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