In his controversial article “America the Rogue State in Imperialism,” first published on Countercurrents.org on January 6, 2026, and subsequently republished in translation by the Jordanian newspaper Al-Ghad on January 7, 2026, American journalist and thinker Chris Hedges holds up a harsh mirror to the United States. This is not merely a moral mirror, but a political and historical one, reflecting the gradual transformation of the world’s greatest power from an inspiring democratic model into an international actor that often behaves like a “rogue state” cloaked in virtue.

 

For decades, Washington has cultivated a firmly established narrative about itself: the protector of democracy, the guardian of human rights, and the architect of the rules-based international order. However, as Hedges demonstrates, the last two decades have witnessed a rapid erosion of this image, not due to America’s adversaries, but rather as a consequence of its own policies. What were once presented as temporary exceptions have become a fixed pattern of behavior, and what was justified on security grounds has become a governing strategy.

 

In Hedges' analysis, a rogue state is not simply one that blatantly violates international law. It is an entity that selectively employs military force, economic sanctions, and diplomatic pressure, choosing when to abide by the rules and when to trample them, while brandishing the rhetoric of democracy and human rights as a moral cover for imposing its will. Ironically, this definition, long used by Washington to label Iran, North Korea, or Russia, is increasingly applicable to American behavior itself.

 

Domestically, American democracy is experiencing a profound structural crisis. Polarization is no longer merely a political disagreement, but an identity-based division that threatens the very social contract. Parties no longer compete on platforms, but rather clash over the legitimacy of the other. The judiciary has become an arena for partisan conflict, the media has lost its role as an impartial arbiter, and citizens' trust in elections and institutions has plummeted. The storming of Congress on January 6, 2021, was not merely a security incident, but a political earthquake that exposed the fragility of the constitutional order. For the first time in modern history, a sitting president and his supporters attempted to disrupt a peaceful transfer of power. That moment shattered the myth of American exceptionalism and revealed the willingness of a segment of the elite to undermine the rules when they do not serve their interests.

 

Externally, the hypocrisy is even more apparent. The United States champions human rights, yet supports authoritarian allies when they serve its interests. It imposes harsh sanctions on entire countries in the name of morality, but rarely acknowledges the human cost of these sanctions on civilians. Sanctions are no longer a limited tool of pressure, but a silent economic war that starves societies and dismantles states without firing a single shot.

 

Even more dangerous is the selective application of international law. Washington is not a party to the International Criminal Court, yet it demands that others appear before it. It speaks of a rules-based order, but reserves for itself the right to use force without a UN mandate, as happened in Iraq in 2003, Libya in 2011, and later in Syria. This duality not only weakens the international system but also empties it of its substance, turning rules into a tool in the hands of the powerful rather than a universal reference point for humanity.

 

In this context, the crisis cannot be reduced to the Trump or Biden administrations, or any single president. It is a structural crisis of an imperial power accustomed to crafting rules and then breaking them when they no longer suit its interests. With the rise of rival powers like China and the return of Russia as a central player, Washington resorts to increased military and economic pressure to compensate for its declining influence, instead of adapting to a multipolar world.

 

Describing America as a “rogue state” is no longer radical ideological rhetoric, but a realistic assessment of existing policies: wars without authorization, collective punishments, the politicization of international institutions, and the erosion of democratic standards at home. The question is no longer: Does Washington violate the rules?But rather: Who can hold it accountable in an unequal international system?

 

The most profound impact of this shift is not only what the United States is doing to others, but what it is doing to democracy itself. When values ​​become mere slogans, and rights tools of coercion, democracy becomes a mask for power, not a framework for justice. In such a world, not only do weak states lose, but the entire international order suffers, and the very idea of ​​democracy loses its moral meaning.

 

Hedges's article is not so much an attack on America as it is a warning bell: either Washington reclaims the essence of its values, or it will become a living example of how democracy can turn on itself and give birth to a rogue state in the name of freedom.

 

The author is the professor of Strategic Studies at Al-Hussein Bin Talal University