Trump's Actions Pose a Risk to Civilized Society.

The domestic and foreign policies – including the effort to overturn the election previously to current moves and statements – erode both domestic and international law. The implications are broader.

They threaten the very concept of what we mean by.

A ethical foundation of any advanced culture is to stop the dominant from attacking and exploiting the weaker. Otherwise, we risk being locked in a conflict of all against all where only the fittest could survive.

This ideal is embedded of America’s founding documents. It is equally the core of the global system established after WWII advocated by the US, which stresses multilateralism, democracy, human rights, and the supremacy of law.

Yet, it is a fragile ideal, easily violated by those who choose to misuse their power. Upholding it necessitates that the those in charge have a sense of duty to abstain from seeking immediate gains, and that the rest of us ensure they answer for their actions should they falter.

Absolute power does not equal right. It makes for turmoil, chaos, and hostilities.

Each instance people or corporations or countries that are advantaged attack and exploit those that are not, the structure of society weakens. If such aggression are not contained, the fabric unravels. If not stopped, the world can descend into instability and violence. We have seen this pattern previously.

Today, we live in a global community with deepening divides. Political and economic power are held by fewer hands than ever before. This creates conditions for the powerful to exploit the less fortunate because they act with a sense of omnipotent.

The fortunes of certain ultra-wealthy individuals is difficult to fathom. The influence of big tech, big oil, and large defense contractors extends over numerous countries. AI is poised to consolidate wealth and power even more. The offensive capability of the major powers is unmatched in recorded history.

Empowered by political allies and an accommodating supreme court, the presidency has been made into the most dominant and unchecked agent of the state in history.

Put it all together and you perceive the danger.

An unbroken thread connects past transgressions to present-day threats. Each were based on the arrogance of absolute power.

You see a similar pattern in other global contexts: in military conflicts, in strategic threats, and in the global depredation by massive conglomerates.

But, strength without restraint does not make right. It produces instability, upended order, and bloodshed.

Historical evidence demonstrates that laws and norms to check the powerful also safeguard them. If these guardrails are removed, their insatiable demands for greater influence and riches in time lead to their downfall – along with their corporations, nations, or empires. And threaten world war.

Such disregard for rules will plague international stability – and indeed a rules-based order – for years to come.