The rule of law: why rules matter more than rulers

“The rule of law” sounds like a dry legal term, but behind it stands a simple and important idea: rules must stand above people, including the most powerful.

The difference is clear from an example. Where a person rules, the law bends to the mood of power, and no one knows what tomorrow holds. Where law rules, even the ruler obeys the same rules as everyone — and so people can plan, build, invest. Predictability is not boring; it is the foundation on which both the economy and trust rest.

History gives a steady pattern: societies where rules apply equally to all turn out, over the long run, richer and more stable than those where the law is a tool in the hands of the strong. Not because better people live there, but because people there have fewer reasons to fear tomorrow.

My opinion: the main sign of a mature state is not a strong leader but strong rules that outlive any leader. When everything rests on one person, that is not strength but fragility that has simply not yet been tested.