as an individual, to try is fine! as a country, it leads along the road the us has gone down. bush-cheney weren't trying. they were assuming the usual rules don't apply to the us.
in the end, the only idea that can work is if countries treat others as of equal value to themselves. worth the same amount of respect, the same dignity, the same degree of protection.
of course, we are far away from that being possible, because actually there are still bad actors around.
but the idea that one country is exceptional partly seems to be about treating others as less exceptional. it is a way to say our interests matter more than those of other countries. and this is not so great.
actually, the us is bigger than most and more powerful than any other. that isn't exceptional in the way it wishes to claim. but it is what it is. the us usually gets its way. those who feel bullied in any negotiation aren't obliged to like it even as they are forced to concede.
take punitive fines on foreign companies with us subsidiaries, for instance. foreigners notice even if us citizens benefit.
petrol is remarkably cheap right now. my car is full with 18 gallons. 18 gallons that cost about two thirds what they did a short while ago.
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