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His national and international strategies – from the challenge to the democratic process previously to current moves and warnings – erode not only domestic and international jurisprudence. The implications are broader.

These actions jeopardize the very concept of a civilized world.

A moral purpose of any advanced culture is to forestall the more powerful from harming and taking advantage of the weaker. Without this, we could find ourselves trapped in a state of nature where might makes right prevails.

This principle is embedded of America’s founding documents. It is equally the heart of the modern framework of international relations championed by the United States, which stresses international cooperation, democracy, human rights, and the rule of law.

However, it is a delicate principle, easily violated by those who would exploit their influence. Preserving it necessitates that the influential have a sense of duty to refrain from seeking immediate gains, and that society hold them accountable should they falter.

Absolute power does not make right. It results in instability, chaos, and hostilities.

Whenever entities that are advantaged attack and exploit those that are weaker, the fabric of society frays. If such aggression are allowed to continue, the structure collapses. If not stopped, the world can descend into chaos and war. We have seen this pattern previously.

We now inhabit a global community marked by extreme inequality. Political and economic power are held by fewer hands than ever before. This encourages the powerful to exploit the less fortunate because they feel untouchable.

The resources of a small group of tycoons is staggering. The influence of global industrial giants spans a vast portion of the world. Advanced technology is likely to consolidate economic and political clout further. The offensive capability of the world's largest nations is without parallel in human history.

Enabled by political allies and a pliant high court, the highest office has been turned into the most powerful and unaccountable entity of the state in the modern era.

Combine these factors and you see the looming crisis.

A direct line links previous transgressions to ongoing provocations. Each were founded upon the hubris of absolute power.

You see a similar pattern in the actions of other powers: in wars of aggression, in strategic threats, and in the worldwide exploitation by powerful corporate entities.

However, raw power does not create right. It produces instability, upended order, and armed conflict.

History shows that frameworks designed to limit the powerful also shield them. If these guardrails are removed, their relentless pursuit for greater influence and riches eventually lead to their downfall – and with them their corporations, nations, or empires. And threaten global conflict.

Such lawlessness will haunt the nation and the world – and the very idea of civilization – for years to come.