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The national and international policies – from the attempted coup five years ago to current actions and threats – erode both domestic and international jurisprudence. But that’s not all.

They endanger the fundamental meaning of a civilized world.

A moral purpose of civilized society is to prevent the stronger from attacking and exploiting the less powerful. Failing that, we risk being trapped in a state of nature where only the fittest wins.

This concept is embedded of the nation's founding texts. It’s also the core of the postwar international order advocated by the America, built on international cooperation, popular sovereignty, fundamental freedoms, and the rule of law.

But, it is a delicate construct, frequently ignored by those who seek to abuse their influence. Preserving it requires that the those in charge have enough integrity to refrain from seeking temporary advantages, and that the rest of us ensure they answer for their actions if they don't.

Unfettered might does not equal right. It leads to turmoil, upheaval, and conflict.

Each instance individuals, companies, or nations that are richer and more powerful attack and exploit those that are not, the structure of our shared norms unravels. Should such behavior are allowed to continue, the structure collapses. Allowing it to persist, the world can plunge into disorder and conflict. History provides ample precedent.

Today, we live in a global community grown vastly more unequal. Political and economic power are held by fewer hands than ever before. This creates conditions for the privileged to leverage their position against the disadvantaged because they act with a sense of above the law.

The fortunes of a small group of ultra-wealthy individuals is almost beyond comprehension. The influence of major corporations in technology, energy, and aerospace covers numerous countries. Advanced technology is could centralize resources and influence even more. The offensive capability of the leading countries is without parallel in human history.

Empowered by a compliant faction and an accommodating judicial body, the highest office has been made into the most powerful and unaccountable instrument of government in recent memory.

Put it all together and you perceive the threat.

A clear connection connects earlier breaches of norms to ongoing menaces. These were founded upon the hubris of invincibility.

There is parallel dynamics in international affairs: in military conflicts, in strategic threats, and in the rampant monopolization by powerful corporate entities.

However, strength without restraint does not establish right. It fosters uncertainty, revolution, and armed conflict.

History shows that rules and conventions to check the influential also shield them. Absent these limits, their endless appetite for greater influence and riches ultimately cause their collapse – taking down their corporations, nations, or empires. And threaten global conflict.

This kind of contempt for legal order will haunt international stability – and indeed civilization – for a long time.