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The national and international initiatives – ranging from the attempted coup five years ago to latest actions and warnings – weaken not only national and global law. But that’s not all.

These actions jeopardize the very concept of civilization itself.

A moral purpose of any advanced culture is to stop the dominant from attacking and exploiting the vulnerable. Failing that, we risk being locked in a state of nature where only the fittest wins.

This ideal is central of the Declaration and Constitution. This is also the heart of the global system established after WWII advocated by the America, built on collective action, democracy, individual liberties, and the rule of law.

But, it is a delicate construct, frequently ignored by those who seek to abuse their power. Preserving it necessitates that the influential have the moral fortitude to refrain from seeking immediate gains, and that society demand responsibility if they don't.

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

Whenever people or corporations or countries that are wealthier and stronger prey upon those that are weaker, the framework of civilization weakens. Should such behavior are allowed to continue, the structure collapses. Without intervention, the world can fall into chaos and war. History provides ample precedent.

Our current reality is a society and world grown vastly more unequal. Authority and resources are increasingly centralized than in recent memory. This encourages the elite to exploit the disadvantaged because they feel untouchable.

The resources of certain billionaires is almost beyond comprehension. The influence of global industrial giants spans much of the globe. Artificial intelligence is likely to centralize wealth and power further. The destructive power of the world's largest nations is without parallel in human history.

Supported by political allies and a pliant judicial body, the highest office has been transformed into the supreme and answerable-to-none agent of government in the modern era.

Combine these factors and you see the looming crisis.

A direct line ties previous lawless actions to ongoing menaces. Each were based on the hubris of invincibility.

One observes a similar pattern in other global contexts: in military conflicts, in coercive diplomacy, and in the global depredation by powerful corporate entities.

But, strength without restraint does not create right. It makes for uncertainty, upheaval, and war.

The lessons of the past reveal that rules and conventions to limit the powerful also protect them. Absent these limits, their insatiable demands for greater influence and riches ultimately cause their collapse – along with their enterprises, countries, or domains. And pave the way for world war.

This blatant disregard for rules will haunt America and the global community – and the very idea of a rules-based order – for years to come.