Pure anarchies only last so long as every member is a dedicated anarchist. Sooner or later, given the way human nature works, you’ll get someone who wants to be a leader, and sooner or later the leader will attract people who WANT to be told what to do. Then you suddenly have a warlord with an army.

Yeah, an ad hoc citizen’s group might spontaneously form to topple him then break apart after. But you can’t rely on that, humans form tribes and nothing else cements a tribe together like combat. So there’s a fair chance that it would just replace one warlord & army with a different one. That sort of thing is how the feudal monarchies got their start.

Anarchies and pure democracies are both fragile. So long as every citizen is well-educated and devoted to the principles of the system, they work. The instant a minority willing to stand together as a group rather than individuals forms though, that fragile system tends to shatter.

Also, since the King is as Yankee-born and Swiss-educated as John Kerry, I’d put up with Bhumibol birtherism in order to have him serve as President. He’s one of the few who wouldn’t treat his pardon powers as a joke to be wasted on turkeys and the deceased.

In a related vein, we really need to abrogate our extradition treaty with Japan. The Japanese criminal courts and prisons are a travesty.

I’ve always believed that Bhumibol Adulyadej could have been the Asian John Kerry.

Incidentally, according to the Economist the King has become disgusted recently with the manner in which lese majeste accusations are being used by politicians to take pot shots at opponents. In at least one case in which there had been no appeal for royal clemency, he privately told a prosecutor to drop charges.

The key in your last example though is that at least the US citizen who is wanted in Spain has the option of keeping out of Spain. If the US government has their way Julian Assange won’t have the option of staying out of the US.

a. A US citizen without diplomatic immunity commits a crime in Italy and is charged with it in Italy. This is the way the laws normally work just about everywhere. Those CIA agents probably can’t ever go back to Europe, for fear of being arrested and sent off to Italy. (If you commit the crime while you have diplomatic immunity, then sooner or later the local authorities have to send you home, though they’ll probably make it clear you’re not ever welcome back.)

b. A US citizen does something in the US which is illegal in Thailand (defames the king), and this becomes known to the Thai authorities. He then travels to Thailand, where he is arrested. (Even worse, the Thai authorities could send someone to the US to kidnap him and bring him back to Thailand for trial.)

c. A US citizen commits crimes according to international law, for example by running a program of torturing prisoners. A court in Spain charges him with crimes against humanity based on international law. (This is the sort of thing that probably makes John Yoo and Doug Feith avoid European vacation plans.)

b.

But what’s interesting is they way these things play out. The Thai King, His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej, blessed be his name (hell, I don’t want to get arrested the next time I’m there!) has said he hates these laws. He just can’t stand them. If it were were up to him, he’d strike them from the books. He just wants to take pictures and play with his dogs (he is an avid photographer and dog lover). The problem is that the Thai people, because they love him so much, simply insist on these laws. And what can he do? He’s just the King; he doesn’t make the laws.

So what this king does is pardon the offenders. It’s the least he can do.

And yea, its definitely different with agents of a government than with private citizens. I don’t know, it just seems like the idea of soveriegn nations is undermined when a judge in another country can trump up some reason to convict a foreigner. Like the whole Julian Assange thing. To me its pretty clear cut-he is not an American and is not or at least should not be under any obligation to obey American laws. But it seems like our government is trying to pioneer some way to place everyone under their legal jurisdiction. That’s frightening to me.

Those CIA agents committed their alleged crimes in Italy. Italy can arrest and try them. I see nothing wrong with that.

Also the whole concept is challenged by someone like Julian Assange, who the US government would love to have in one of their cages. His case seems to present a big challenge to authorities who would love to use the hammer of the law to get rid of people they don’t like.