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The national and international strategies – including the challenge to the democratic process previously to latest actions and statements – erode both domestic and international jurisprudence. But that’s not all.

They endanger the very concept of civilization itself.

A guiding principle of a functioning society is to forestall the dominant from preying upon and using the vulnerable. Otherwise, we would be permanently immersed in a brutish war where only the fittest prevails.

This ideal lies at the center of the Declaration and Constitution. It is equally the heart of the postwar international order advocated by the United States, built on multilateralism, democracy, individual liberties, and the rule of law.

However, it is a fragile construct, often broken by those who seek to abuse their authority. Preserving it demands that the influential have enough integrity to abstain from seeking temporary advantages, and that society demand responsibility if they don't.

Unchecked strength does not equal right. It results in instability, upheaval, and war.

Each instance entities that are advantaged target and use those that are less so, the fabric of society weakens. If these actions are not contained, the system fails. Without intervention, the world can descend into instability and violence. History provides ample precedent.

Today, we live in a global community with deepening divides. Political and economic power are held by fewer hands than in modern history. This creates conditions for the powerful to exploit the weaker because they act with a sense of untouchable.

The resources of a handful of billionaires is difficult to fathom. The power of global industrial giants spans numerous countries. Advanced technology is likely to consolidate resources and influence further. The military might of the major powers is unmatched in human history.

Supported by complicit legislators and a sympathetic judicial body, the highest office has been turned into the most dominant and unchecked instrument of government in history.

Put it all together and you perceive the looming crisis.

A direct line links previous lawless actions to present-day threats. Both were premised on the overconfidence of absolute power.

You see much the same in other global contexts: in military conflicts, in coercive diplomacy, and in the worldwide exploitation by powerful corporate entities.

However, strength without restraint does not make right. It produces instability, revolution, and bloodshed.

History shows that rules and conventions to limit the influential also protect them. Absent these limits, their relentless pursuit for more power and wealth eventually bring them down – taking down their enterprises, countries, or domains. And pave the way for international catastrophe.

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