In the first part of our national history we were protected largely by geography, the luck of geography, from the threat of invasion, and we were able to live our national life without too much concern for what was going on in other countries. In the more recent phase of our national history we have been the most powerful country in the world, and that has also enabled us to act as we deem appropriate without too much reference to the preferences of other countries. But the deeper point is that if you look at our history, we have a history of being a Lone Ranger in the world. So that's just one area where clearly we need to cooperate, to accept cooperative schemes, in order to realize our national interest. But it's a little counter-cultural, it's a little hard for us to do that.
Most countries have treaty ratification systems that are less onerous.
So that is a problem for us. We're living with the tension it produces. We, as citizens of the most powerful country in the world, are the natural architects of the rapidly expanding international legal system. We are playing a role, but our ability to do so is definitely inhibited, definitely limited by this deep history of either unilateral action or indifference to the opinions and preferences of other countries. So we're torn.