Alexander Hamilton Quotes
They are not rules prescribed by the sovereign to the subject, but agreements between sovereign and sovereign.
Hamilton, Alexander. "Federalist No. 75." The Federalist, edited by Jacob E. Cooke, Wesleyan University Press, 1961, p. 504.
The Constitution was not drafted until 1787 and was ratified later. In the interim the young United States functioned under the Articles of Confederation, in a sense, our first Constitution. This clause established that the Federal Government should have the exclusive power and authority to conduct foreign affairs.
Individual countries are bound only by the treaties and compacts that they have signed and ratified. So very often someone will allege that a country has violated international law, but that nation may not have signed the Treaty or Compact that binds them, so thy may not be in violation at all whereas some other country in similar circumstances would be. Also, many countries (including the United States) sign treaties but take exception to some of the provisions. Then there are not bound by that provision. This is what makes International Law so complicated and difficult to understand.
See {585493},65902, and {585496}, for more quotations on this.
The minister had refused to be pressured by the George W. Bush Administration to sign an agreement with the US agreeing never to turn over an American or a foreign national working for America to the International Criminal Court (ICC). Even if a Peruvian or other non-American were working for an American Agency as an informant, agent, or other role, the country could not respect the treaty obligations that they had already made with regard to the ICC. Peru was “punished” losing $4 million aid. Nations were so “punished” while the State Department was spending huge sums to remedy negative opinion that so many nations had developed for the US during the George W. Bush administration. See {585493},65901 & {585496}, for more quotations on this. The US did not join the ICC Treaty as in some countries political considerations and different ethical values have labeled some American legitimate behavior as criminal and have attempted to hold individuals responsible for carrying out lawful orders. So many foreigners could understand the United States not wanting to deny Americans and others in the United States the protection of the United States Constitution, there was ire at the US pressuring others to boycott the ICC and break their existing treaties.
There have been times in democracies where a foreign ministry (State Department) is isolated from the elected politicians and implements a foreign policy that is at odds with the wishes of the elected officials and the majority of the nation. A good American example of this was in 1948 where America had to decide whether to support the creation of the State of Israel in the United Nations and through diplomatic recognition. The professional diplomats in the State Department had developed very close relations with Arab States, and many State Department employees were anti-Semitic. In addition, they thought the most important thing for America was not to risk the Arab oil supply. Meanwhile, the people, Congress, and President Truman were on the other side and Truman had to finally order The Secretary of State to stop his professional diplomats from pursuing their own foreign policy preferences. Even then some did not.
Turkey, in a disastrous foreign policy decision unilaterally withdrew from a major treaty and joined Germany in WWI in exchange for German support of Turkey’s treaty withdrawal. It led to the dissolution of the Ottoman Turkish Empire when Germany was defeated in WWI. Historically, it shows how easy it is for a nation to abrogate a treaty which illustrates how ephemeral treaties actually are. See De Gaulle’s wonderful quotation on this point—{138034}.
Diplomatic recognition of the People’s Republic of China was being debated. Many of Churchill’s Conservative Party Colleagues were opposed on the grounds that diplomatic relations gives a signal of legitimacy. In the U. S. this general issue is a constant source of political controversy when diplomatic relations and talks are considered with Iran, Cuba and North Korea.
Because the Senate has not ratified some international treaties, the United States does not participate in some international efforts to create international rules and law. The reason for non-ratification is generally given as potential loss of American sovereignty. At the same time, we spend billions of dollars trying to influence and shape the world along free market, democratic lines, and then are not able to participate in some of the most important forums where we could do just that. It is a constant dilemma and the Senate goes both ways depending on its mood, public opinion at the time and the political composition of the Senate. See {637031} and {637032}.
Alexander Hamilton was an American statesman, politician, legal scholar, military commander, lawyer, banker, and economist. He was one of the Founding Fathers of the United States. He was an influential interpreter and promoter of the U.S. Constitution, as well as the founder of the nation's financial system, the Federalist Party, the United States Coast Guard, and the New York Post newspaper. As the first secretary of the treasury, Hamilton was the main author of the economic policies of George Washington's administration. He took the lead in the federal government's funding of the states' debts, as well as establishing the nation's first two de facto central banks, the Bank of North America and the First Bank of the United States, a system of tariffs, and friendly trade relations with Britain. His vision included a strong central government led by a vigorous executive branch, a strong commercial economy, government-controlled banks, support for manufacturing, and a strong military.
