politics
March 16, 2026
America, the World's Policeman Again
It's easier to take sides with the U.S. when the Soviet Union was on the opposite side during the Cold War. Of course, it's not hard to answer whose system is freer: American, Chinese, or Russian. The problem for the U.S. is that neither Beijing nor Moscow can match them today.
TL;DR
- International law is codified and recognized but applied selectively based on state power disparities.
- Major powers, especially those with nuclear capabilities, are difficult to hold accountable under international law.
- Legitimate wars under international law are defensive or UN Security Council-approved, a framework established during the US-Soviet bipolar era.
- Cold War superpowers acted based on rational calculations and national interests, often bypassing international law, but avoided direct nuclear conflict.
- Post-Cold War, international institutions are less effective, and the US is the primary global power, though China and Russia are emerging rivals.
- US interventions require strong justifications, including preventing mass crimes, supporting democracy, exposing oppressive regimes, or demonstrating an immediate threat.
- Unilateral and poorly justified US interventions, like some of Trump's, risk alienating allies and diminishing US global influence.
- A strategy of fear over popularity, even against oppressive regimes, is ultimately detrimental to long-term US standing.
Continue reading the original article