US Can No Longer Act With Impunity (or Threats)

It must be particularly irksome to US authorities to now realise that they are no longer the scary monster they once were to the world’s peoples. When the US makes demands, threats, or even basic expectations of cooperation in recent days, there is no reciprocal jumping to attention by those who may once have feared or may not have possessed the means or capabilities to deny such approaches, to act/react in the same way they may previously have done. And the US can no longer, with impunity, take unilateral action to impose their will – otherwise Julian Assange, to give just one example. would already be rotting in a US jail.

And so it is, that when US citizens behave badly in most parts of the world (this is of course not yet a universal premise) they can expect to receive appropriate justice meted for their actions, without any expectation of big brother coming to their rescue or otherwise diminishing their possible curtailment of liberty. This puts them on a more or less level playing field now with the rest of the world’s peoples.

It is not therefore sufficient for the US authorities to raise suggestions as to how to “bring home our people” from foreign shores, either ‘at all’ or by making silly and unfair arrangements (like ‘two for one’ prisoner swaps). No two US citizens are worth one Russian citizen. And this is even more bizarrely proposed when accompanied by unveiled threats as to US willingness to “take every step necessary” to achieve their goal. The US no longer possesses the capability to do that without decisive repercussions.

And so it is incumbent on the US to either keep its wayward sheep at home or to instruct them that they will be on their own if caught in the web of foreign power legal systems. Fair’s fair. There can be no special extra-legal considerations that put the citizens of any nation above the law or grant them rights not available to citizens of other nations, within the law governing international affairs.

But of course the US is not big on either acting within or even recognising the importance and universality of international law, is it. They prefer, or have preferred, their own system of ‘rules based order’. Their own ‘rules’ of course.

With the diminishment of power, comes a diminishment of prestige and, eventually, of respect. When no-one any longer jumps at your command (or threat), it is time to re-evaluate your your position. And that is not an easy or particularly pleasant introspective step to take. Especially when you have enjoyed (and abused) ‘top dog’ status for any length of time.

But if you want to get along with other folk…

‘White House urges Russia to accept US prisoner swap proposal’ – TASS

…learn that making threats does not help your cause.

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