The attack on Venezuela and the subsequent capture of Mandora along with his wife by American SEALs is a grim reminder that, in international politics, might still sets the rules of the game. Weakness — real or perceived — continues to invite aggression. This enduring reality is best illustrated by the classical fable of the lion and the lamb.

The lion and the lamb stood at opposite ends of a pond. The lion, intent on devouring the lamb, accused him of polluting the water. The lamb replied that it was impossible, as the water flowed from the lion's side to his. The lion then alleged that the lamb had done the same thing the previous year. When the lamb responded that he had not even been born then, the lion claimed it must have been his mother, and without further justification, attacked and ate him.

This fable succinctly captures the logic of power politics: when outcomes are predetermined by strength, reason, legality and morality become mere pretexts.

Throughout history, superpowers armed with lethal force and cutting-edge technology have devised sophisticated means to advance their interests, subdue defiance and discipline those who refuse to submit to their sphere of influence. Diplomatic pressure, economic coercion, covert operations, regime change and direct military intervention are merely different instruments of the same orchestra of dominance. What changes across eras is not the impulse to dominate, but the technology through which dominance is exercised.

History is replete with such examples. In the case of the United States,........

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