Peaceful transition a hallmark of American democracy

America is not the norm.

As citizens of one of the world’s oldest constitutional republics, every American, myself included, sometimes needs reminding about the extent to which our freedoms and traditions are the exception rather than the rule in human history.

The rule of law and constitutional limits on government power should not be taken for granted. The orderly transition of power from one presidential administration to the next is one of the fundamental principles that ensure stability for our system of self-government.

For most of human history, monarchs and unelected leaders only lost...