Egregoros

The problem is the US doesn't have principles either anymore. That's why we're here.

Rule by force selects for those most capable of projecting violence. This is at least eugenic because it "capable of projecting violence" implies organization, cleverness, and general evolutionary fitness. The weak are pushed back into the margins and the failed genetic mutants get wiped out.

But then the powerful come up against each other, and this is when they recognize that in perpetual war, everybody loses. This is the point at which they lay down some rules & norms, and they agree to abide by them, because they know war and they would rather restrain themselves than end up in it.

But in a world where everyone restrains themselves, being a little bit less restrained confers significant advantage. So people will always aim to cheat, first a little, then a lot, and then the rules and norms themselves become meaningless.

That's the "coyote ran off the cliff" moment, when everybody is still pretending the rules are important even though everyone is cheating in one way or another and nobody is really motivated to enforce them.

It has been argued that Putin is an Übermensch, because he is able to place himself outside of the paradigm and change the course of history. What is clear is that he was unique in having recognized early the collapse of international norms and The Countries On The Map Are Free, You Can Take Them Home With You. That is to say, you can just do things and nobody is going to be motivated enough to really fight to stop you.