The rule of law is facing extreme tests all around the world. Putin’s annexation of Ukraine in 2014, followed by the full invasion in 2022 and then all-out war, is just one of the more egregious examples. Despite measures – such as sanctions being imposed and arrest warrants being issued by the International Criminal Court – the war rages on and the loss of life, already estimated to exceed 200,000, continues.

Speaking at the end of last year, the UN Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, bemoaned the disregard for international law and apparent indifference to civilian lives and infrastructure in Ukraine. He added Israel, the Occupied Palestinian Territory, Lebanon, Sudan and Myanmar as a few more stark examples. In doing so, he highlighted the major threat to human rights as a result of ‘the proliferation of armed conflict, the erosion of respect for international law in the conduct of hostilities, and the apparent indifference of powerful actors to immense numbers of casualties and suffering.’

The US President would usually be the sort of powerful actor the world could look to for leadership – moral, military or diplomatic – in such challenging times. But, as the articles in this edition make clear, Donald Trump is not that type of President. Instead, since being re-elected, he has appeared hell-bent on proving the opposite is true by dismantling the machinery of US government; slashing the USAID budget; attacking sacred cornerstones of the US Constitution (such as free expression); creating turmoil in international trade with the haphazard application of his beloved tariffs; and attacking the fundamental underpinnings of US democracy and rule of law, notably ignoring and denigrating the judiciary in cavalier pursuit of illegal deportation measures. His administration is facing unprecedented numbers of legal challenges (by some counts as many as 250 after just a few months in office). While chaos and incompetence reign in the White House – or at least until it’s constrained and wiser heads prevail – it’s abundantly clear that those seeking to assist the beleaguered people in desperate need around the world, or simply to protect and uphold the rule of law, will have to look elsewhere for leadership.    

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