…sooner or later the advocates of international law are going to realize what every judge knows. It's one thing to issue a warrant. It's another to get someone to serve it… If international law is the new god it is the sort of god that needs the United States of America to carry out its divine mandates.
The task of building a lawful international world requires that its advocates be attuned to changes in the world in ways analogous to Congressmen who understand what is feasible or infeasible in their home districts. But then Congressmen are elected, while the internationalists are above all that. However, if internationalists cared to look out at 21st century, they would find it bore little resemblance to the centuries in which their laws are rooted. They would gaze upon a scene increasingly comprised of Third World and even failing states; a world where powerful international terror groups are actively looking for biological and chemical weapons to attain their apocalyptic dreams. They'd see a world where the President of Russia has ordered Death Squads to fan out across the globe and Israeli airplanes buzzing the palace of the Syrian dictator in response to the abduction of an Israeli soldier within its borders. And they'd go back to investigating Gitmo.
As usual at Belmont, the comments are as thoughtful and thought-provoking as Wretchard’s original post. By all means take the time to read it all… and often.