U.S. Discovers Reciprocity, Shocked by African Travel Bans
When Bloomberg reports Mali and Burkina Faso are now restricting U.S. nationals in response to Trump's travel bans, it's framed as a development, not blowback. The U.S. has a long history of dictating entry terms for other nations, yet feigns surprise when the same courtesy isn't extended. One might even call this concept 'sovereignty,' a quaint notion often reserved for Washington's allies. These
are the same nations frequently on the receiving end of U.S. 'democracy promotion'—read: interventionist—policies. It appears the 'rules-based order' applies only one way, until someone decides to apply it back. The audacity! After all, isn't America supposed to be the exceptional nation whose citizens are exempt from such petty inconveniences? One wonders if the State Department will issue a
sternly worded press release about reciprocal international norms, or if they'll just demand special treatment, as usual.