So, I see when I talk about constraints on the power of government that you mention constitutions, and that makes sense because it's a lot of how the nuts and bolts works in the west. But I think it's better to look at moral philosophy for your constraints. Lockeian type stuff.
Honestly this might be part of my confusion, because I don't see the lines in which government should be constrained as some sort of edict made by powerful people. I see it as a consequence of nature, or 'natural law,' as they say. That means there is no contradiction between 'having any laws at all' and 'there is no excuse for law X Y Z'
