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codydodd t1_j18i81e wrote

Reply to comment by budliteasscheeks in WTO on ‘Thin Ice’ With Metals-Tariff Ruling, US Trade Chief Says by defenestrate_urself

As a Canadian, the US has routinely ignores WTO rulings related to softwood lumber. Rules for thee but not for me. And yet of course the US complains when other large parties like China routinely ignore it too. I honestly think if the US had embraced rules-based order after the Cold War there would be less precedent available for today's despots to also think rules are for weak nations.

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DifferenceThat8887 t1_j1ccg1f wrote

Precisely. The USA is a global superpower and is capable of creating a situation where it would be rational for countries like Russia and China to abide by international law. But it needs to follow it's own rules to do that.

It amazes me how hostile people are to this. There seems to be this idea that peace achieved by coordinating rational self interest is somehow illegitimate and that unless Russia and China are to willing to unilaterally compromise themselves in pursuit of peace as a moral goal (which will never happen) we should just accept inevitable war.

No doubt the Chinese etc have a similar mentality but unlike China the USA is actually capable of creating a rational peace due to its massive power advantage.

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