Opinion | US disregard of international law must not be tolerated
Principles such as sovereign equality and the peaceful resolution of disputes are the bedrock of international relations – and must be protected
In the interview, Trump laid out what might be called his philosophy of power. “[T]here is one thing. My own morality. My own mind. It’s the only thing that can stop me,” he said. When pressed on whether the United States must comply with international law, Trump offered a nominal affirmation but immediately qualified it by saying compliance depended on “what your definition of international law is”. In other words, he positioned himself as the final arbiter.
Such views run counter to the principle that states may not invoke domestic law as a justification for violating international law. Trump’s remarks expose an openly opportunistic approach: international rules are invoked when they serve US interests and discarded when they do not. This “America first” mindset is a form of American exceptionalism, one in which domestic power overrides international obligations.
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