QUESTIONS Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

QUESTIONS - Essay Example Today, the US empire has troops stationed in over 100 countries worldwide. This started in the aftermath of WWII when the US had tremendous goodwill and respect from the rest of the world. Treaties were signed, bases were constructed and the troops have been stationed in far-flung locations ever since. The central ideal on which the United States was founded is the Rule of Law. That concept, as the central ideal that America was known for, has special application to the period just after WWII. Following WWII, the US pioneered the field of international law with the Nuremberg war trials, effectively telling the world that not only was no man above the Law, but no nation was above the law. This was a first in the history of the world. The popular slogan of peace, justice and the American way is a reference to the rule of law, not democracy. However, with the transition to an empire the concept of democracy is now emphasized and one does not hear much about the rule of law. The rule of law sums up a plethora of ideals: trial by jury, innocent until proven guilty, the right to face one’s accusers, freedom of speech, religious free exercise, right to keep and bear arms, freedom from arbitrary search and seizure and the list goes on. All the Constitutionally guaranteed rights come down to the rule of law.