I’m fine with capturing Maduro, but this whole “we’re going to run Venezuela” thing is bizarre. It’s even worse than “we’re going to turn Gaza into the next Riviera.”
Seva Gunitzky has written about how this legitimizes Spheres of Influence thinking to the benefit of China/Russia and I agree. So yes, international law is on life support and often misused, but it probably was still helpful in preventing a full return to the law of the Jungle.
I can say here in Denmark, the attack on Venezuela has brought much anxiety; Maduro is an enemy, no doubt, but what consequences this poses to our Kingdom are unknown & quite frankly, the options don’t seem very positive for us. Most of my colleagues certainly hold the view that, come what may, we will stand & fight here regardless for King & Country as we did during ISAF. However, one would wonder at what cost; a world where friends that we trained with five months ago may now strike our homes. This is a very strange & frightening world we’ve stumbled into.
The way you reference the U.S. Constitution and the rule of law makes it sound more like a religious fetish than anything real. History, especially recent history, shows that even American law only exists to the degree that the powerful are willing to follow and enforce it. American law has a stronger tradition behind it than international law but the two are not completely different things.
No, but I get that within a specific community, like a Republic, a Constitution has a special place. Part of the social contract. Ideally that might also be true if the community is the whole globe, but there it's even more farfetched and fantastic.
I share your concerns about Trump's executive overreach Michael. But don't you think that come November Congress will rediscover its eagerness to tap Trump on his fingers once the Dems take back the House? Best, Felix
I’m fine with capturing Maduro, but this whole “we’re going to run Venezuela” thing is bizarre. It’s even worse than “we’re going to turn Gaza into the next Riviera.”
Seva Gunitzky has written about how this legitimizes Spheres of Influence thinking to the benefit of China/Russia and I agree. So yes, international law is on life support and often misused, but it probably was still helpful in preventing a full return to the law of the Jungle.
There's a balance, I guess. As you probably know from reading me, I swing back and forth, personally, and haven't settled on a proper middle ground.
I can say here in Denmark, the attack on Venezuela has brought much anxiety; Maduro is an enemy, no doubt, but what consequences this poses to our Kingdom are unknown & quite frankly, the options don’t seem very positive for us. Most of my colleagues certainly hold the view that, come what may, we will stand & fight here regardless for King & Country as we did during ISAF. However, one would wonder at what cost; a world where friends that we trained with five months ago may now strike our homes. This is a very strange & frightening world we’ve stumbled into.
I'm really very sorry. This breaks my heart.
The way you reference the U.S. Constitution and the rule of law makes it sound more like a religious fetish than anything real. History, especially recent history, shows that even American law only exists to the degree that the powerful are willing to follow and enforce it. American law has a stronger tradition behind it than international law but the two are not completely different things.
No, but I get that within a specific community, like a Republic, a Constitution has a special place. Part of the social contract. Ideally that might also be true if the community is the whole globe, but there it's even more farfetched and fantastic.
I share your concerns about Trump's executive overreach Michael. But don't you think that come November Congress will rediscover its eagerness to tap Trump on his fingers once the Dems take back the House? Best, Felix
It remains to be seen. I have no confidence the Dems can gain ground, or that American voters will see sense. I've lost faith in them.