Trump's Policies Pose a Threat to Civilized Society.

The domestic and foreign policies – from the challenge to the democratic process in the past to recent moves and warnings – undermine not only national and global law. The implications are broader.

These actions endanger the core idea of civilization itself.

A moral purpose of civilized society is to stop the more powerful from harming and taking advantage of the weaker. Otherwise, we could find ourselves trapped in a state of nature where might makes right could survive.

This ideal is embedded of America’s founding documents. It is equally the core of the modern framework of international relations supported by the America, emphasizing international cooperation, popular sovereignty, fundamental freedoms, and the rule of law.

But, it is a fragile construct, often broken by those who seek to abuse their power. Maintaining it demands that the those in charge have the moral fortitude to abstain from seeking temporary advantages, and that society demand responsibility should they falter.

Unfettered might does not make right. It leads to turmoil, disruption, and conflict.

Every time individuals, companies, or nations that are richer and more powerful target and use those that are weaker, the structure of our shared norms unravels. If such aggression are left unchecked, the system fails. Allowing it to persist, the world can plunge into chaos and war. History provides ample precedent.

Today, we live in a society and world grown vastly more unequal. Authority and resources are more concentrated than in modern history. This invites the powerful to exploit the weaker because they perceive themselves as above the law.

The resources of certain billionaires is staggering. The power of big tech, big oil, and large defense contractors spans much of the globe. Artificial intelligence is likely to consolidate resources and influence to a greater degree. The military might of the leading countries is unmatched in recorded history.

Enabled by political allies and a sympathetic high court, the executive office has been turned into the most powerful and unaccountable agent of government in recent memory.

Combine these factors and you grasp the looming crisis.

An unbroken thread connects previous breaches of norms to current threats. Each were founded upon the overconfidence of invincibility.

One observes a similar pattern in the actions of other powers: in military conflicts, in expansive ambitions, and in the worldwide exploitation by massive conglomerates.

But, strength without restraint does not establish right. It makes for uncertainty, revolution, and bloodshed.

History shows that rules and conventions to constrain the powerful also protect them. Without such constraints, their endless appetite for increased control and resources ultimately lead to their downfall – taking down their corporations, nations, or empires. And risk global conflict.

Such lawlessness will cast a long shadow over international stability – and the very idea of civilized conduct – for years to come.