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The internal and external policies – including the challenge to the democratic process five years ago to recent actions and warnings – weaken both domestic and international legal frameworks. The implications are broader.

They threaten the very concept of a civilized world.

The ethical foundation of a functioning society is to forestall the dominant from attacking and exploiting the vulnerable. Failing that, we risk being trapped in a conflict of all against all where survival of the strongest could survive.

This principle is central of America’s founding documents. It’s also the heart of the global system established after WWII advocated by the America, built on multilateralism, democracy, individual liberties, and the legal authority.

But, it is a vulnerable construct, easily violated by those who seek to abuse their authority. Maintaining it necessitates that the influential have the moral fortitude to abstain from seeking short-term wins, and that the rest of us hold them accountable should they falter.

Unchecked strength does not equal right. It results in turmoil, upheaval, and hostilities.

Each instance individuals, companies, or nations that are advantaged attack and exploit those that are weaker, the structure of society frays. If these actions are allowed to continue, the system fails. If not stopped, the world can plunge into instability and violence. History provides ample precedent.

Today, we live in a society and world marked by extreme inequality. Authority and resources are held by fewer hands than in recent memory. This invites the privileged to take advantage of the weaker because they feel omnipotent.

The fortunes of a small group of tycoons is almost beyond comprehension. The reach of big tech, big oil, and large defense contractors spans much of the globe. Advanced technology is likely to consolidate resources and influence to a greater degree. The offensive capability of the world's largest nations is without parallel in recorded history.

Supported by political allies and a sympathetic high court, the presidency has been transformed into the supreme and answerable-to-none instrument of government in recent memory.

Put it all together and you perceive the threat.

A clear connection connects earlier transgressions to ongoing threats. Each were founded upon the arrogance of absolute power.

There is much the same in international affairs: in territorial invasions, in strategic threats, and in the global depredation by powerful corporate entities.

However, unfettered might does not establish right. It produces instability, upended order, and war.

History shows that laws and norms to limit the influential also shield them. Without such constraints, their insatiable demands for more power and wealth in time lead to their downfall – and with them their enterprises, countries, or domains. And risk international catastrophe.

This blatant disregard for rules will cast a long shadow over the nation and the world – and indeed a rules-based order – for years to come.