There is something almost breathtakingly absurd — and tragically familiar — in watching modern empire set the house ablaze, then stand in front of the flames demanding applause for holding a bucket. That is where America now stands in the Strait of Hormuz. Not as a stabilizer. Not as a peacemaker. Not as the adult in the room. But as an arsonist, pacing nervously outside the inferno, complaining that the smoke is ruining the neighborhood. According to reporting, Iran offered a pathway to reopen one of the world’s most vital energy arteries — a proposal that could ease global economic panic, calm oil markets, and halt further escalation. But there was a problem: It did not produce the one thing modern American politics worships above peace, above diplomacy, above global stability: a theatrical victory photo-op. A U.S. official reportedly worried accepting the deal might “deny Mr. Trump a victory.” Pause there and absorb the moral architecture of our age. Not: Will fe...
When a Constitution Becomes a Decorative Document America’s Latest War, and the Curious Death of Accountability
There is an imperial comedy unfolding before the world — dark enough to be tragedy, absurd enough to be satire. This is, after all, the very “model democracy” United States has spent decades promising to export to humanity — by missile, by occupation, by sanctions, by “shock and awe,” by solemn lectures on liberty delivered from polished podiums standing atop broken nations. This was the sermon preached to Iraq. Imposed on Afghanistan. Invoked amid the destruction of Libya . Entangled in the agony of Syria. Echoed through the devastation of Yemen. The doctrine was always wrapped in noble language: Rule of law. Democratic institutions. Constitutional order. Checks and balances. How magnificent those words sound — right up until power decides they are optional at home. What a remarkable export product: A democracy where Congress yields, courts hesitate, executive power expands, wars begin first and legal arguments arrive later — wrapped in flags, marketed...