🔗 Share this article

His national and international initiatives – ranging from the challenge to the democratic process previously to recent moves and threats – erode both domestic and international legal frameworks. But that’s not all.

These actions jeopardize the fundamental meaning of civilization itself.

A ethical foundation of a functioning society is to stop the stronger from preying upon and using the less powerful. Failing that, we would be permanently immersed in a brutish war where survival of the strongest could survive.

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 United States, built on multilateralism, democratic governance, human rights, and the rule of law.

Yet, it is a delicate principle, frequently ignored by those who choose to misuse their authority. Maintaining it demands that the those in charge have enough integrity to avoid seeking short-term wins, and that the public hold them accountable should they falter.

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

Each instance entities that are richer and more powerful prey upon those that are weaker, the fabric of society frays. If these actions are not contained, the fabric unravels. If not stopped, the world can descend into chaos and war. History provides ample precedent.

Our current reality is a society and world with deepening divides. Influence and wealth are increasingly centralized than in recent memory. This invites the privileged to take advantage of the weaker because they perceive themselves as above the law.

The fortunes of certain ultra-wealthy individuals is almost beyond comprehension. The reach of big tech, big oil, and large defense contractors spans a vast portion of the world. Advanced technology is likely to centralize wealth and power further. The offensive capability of the major powers is unmatched in the annals of time.

Empowered by a compliant faction and a pliant supreme court, the presidency has been transformed into the most powerful and unaccountable instrument of state power in recent memory.

Consider this confluence and you grasp the threat.

An unbroken thread connects earlier transgressions to ongoing menaces. Both were founded upon the arrogance of invincibility.

One observes parallel dynamics in the actions of other powers: in wars of aggression, in expansive ambitions, and in the worldwide exploitation by powerful corporate entities.

However, raw power does not create right. It makes for fragility, upheaval, and armed conflict.

The lessons of the past reveal that frameworks designed to check the influential also safeguard them. Without such constraints, their endless appetite for increased control and resources eventually cause their collapse – taking down their enterprises, countries, or domains. And threaten global conflict.

This blatant contempt for legal order will cast a long shadow over America and the global community – and the very idea of civilization – for years to come.