What if America Followed the Rules?

International law faces a profound crisis of legitimacy as the gap between its lofty ideals and the reality of global conflict widens. The current reliance on proceduralism and bureaucratic legalism often fails to address moral atrocities, leaving institutions like the International Criminal Court vulnerable to political manipulation. Harvard fellow and author Linda Kinstler argues that simply returning to a pre-Trump "rules-based order" is insufficient, as that framework has proven both exclusionary and ineffective. Instead, the focus must shift toward a reparative model that prioritizes material support for victims and acknowledges the tragic nature of modern warfare. As the U.S. grapples with its own complicity in international crises, the debate over whether to subordinate national power to global rules or pursue a more flexible, interest-driven realism continues to polarize foreign policy discourse.