That’s the point. For all of the US’s talk about a “rules based order”, it is very selective about how it gets applied. When it is wielded against her enemies, it is a great moral triumph, and imperative that we support it not because of the immediate politics, but because we must support the system that is so essential to a good world order.
When that same rules based order is wielded against the US’s allies, it is an outrageous exercise of biased politics, and we will use our military might to crush attempts to enforce it.
If you ever wonder why we have problems rallying the world against Russia and China, this is why. For all we talk about acting in the interest of a global rules based order, third world countries look at the situation and think “bollocks, you are all just acting for your own interests, so we are going to do the same and ally with whoever can offer us the most”
That’s the point. For all of the US’s talk about a “rules based order”, it is very selective about how it gets applied. When it is wielded against her enemies, it is a great moral triumph, and imperative that we support it not because of the immediate politics, but because we must support the system that is so essential to a good world order.
When that same rules based order is wielded against the US’s allies, it is an outrageous exercise of biased politics, and we will use our military might to crush attempts to enforce it.
If you ever wonder why we have problems rallying the world against Russia and China, this is why. For all we talk about acting in the interest of a global rules based order, third world countries look at the situation and think “bollocks, you are all just acting for your own interests, so we are going to do the same and ally with whoever can offer us the most”