There is no universally acknowledged definition of the rule of law. Consequently, it has turned into a multidimensional concept, although the number of dimensions varies across agencies and even within them. The broader and more imprecise the definition of the term is, the greater the risk of conflict between its loosely connected components.

The World Justice Project’s Rule of Law Index counts four principles (as below).

The fundamental question that scholars like Thomas Carothers and Francis Fukuyama asked after 1989—whether the rule of law can actually be promoted from abroad—has largely been answered in the negative.

If the rule of law is defined more thinly and procedurally as identified via the four principles below a principle-based system, deprecating those who break the common principles and supporting those who build and preserve such a system, then perhaps a society based upon the rule of law can exist internationally to benefit all peoples.