Recent high-level arrests or criminal convictions in other nations have spotlighted a bizarre, worrisome reality: the US is almost alone among the “democratic” nations of the world in NOT being able — or willing — to go after and convict high-profile offenders.
The former “leader of the free world” has sunk to the level of authoritarian dictatorships, both past and present, in its zeal to squash high-level accountability via endless deflection, delay, and denial. (Not coincidentally, these strategies are also the “3 D’s” that Trump embraces and lives by.)
This article explores what other nations are doing about such offenders, and contrasts their efforts with what the US consistently doesn’t do.
Great Britain, ex-Prince Andrew, and the Epstein files
Take, for example, the seriousness with which Great Britain has responded to information and allegations that came to light with the release of the Epstein files. Just last week, the world learned that the former Prince Andrew — who’d already been booted from his “prince-hood” due to previous sexual predation and abuse revealed in the Epstein files — has actually been arrested due to suspicious, perhaps treasonous activity linked to Epstein. He is the first British royal to be charged with a crime in over 400 years.
In response, King Charles made it clear that the royal family will not interfere or try to protect Andrew. He affirmed that “the law must take its course.”
Elsewhere in Europe, several high-profile politicians and CEOs have resigned from their posts following revelations in the Epstein files. In the US, a few corporate types have resigned — but no politicians have owned up to anything, let alone resigned. Not one. And Resident Trump (I refuse to call him our president), despite being plastered all over the Epstein files, is still evading any accountability — with much cynical, devious help from the GOP-controlled Congress.
It’s both unconscionable and deeply unjust.
Brazil convicts Bolsonaro while Trump gets… re-elected!
Next, let’s consider the contrasting ways the US and Brazil have dealt with top-level sedition and insurrection. The US famously (or infamously?) impeached but refused to convict Trump after the January 6, 2021, insurrection at the US Capitol. For a brief period, perhaps a few weeks at most, even loyal GOP politicians strongly condemned Trump’s abhorrent actions and incitement that day.
But soon, the GOP reversed course and refused, anymore, to condemn Trump’s speech and behavior that dark day. From that point onward, the GOP has undermined and twisted the truth of what happened, to the point that many MAGA loyalists insist that the insurrection — in which people were killed, the Capitol was ransacked, and many Capitol police officers were savagely attacked — was merely a “peaceful protest” or even a “love fest”!
To cap off this shameful episode in US history, once Trump returned to office on January 20, 2025, one of his first actions was to pardon ALL of the convicted Jan. 6 rioters — over 1,500 of them! His blanket pardons included quite a few traitors and rebels who were convicted of seditious conspiracy.
Now, to Brazil. There, former president Bolsonaro followed the Trump playbook and incited an insurrection in Jan. 2023, trying to overturn the election in which he’d recently been defeated. Subsequently, he was arrested in 2024, briefly detained, and eventually convicted in September 2025. He was convicted on five counts, including attempting a coup and the violent abolition of the rule of law. Four out of five Supreme Court justices voted to convict him.
But in the US, Trump continues to evade serious consequences for his seditious actions. Instead, he and the GOP have whitewashed the Jan. 6 insurrection, along with Trump’s direct involvement and incitement. To make matters worse, in 2024, Trump again became the GOP’s chosen presidential candidate — and then won the election!
Once again, it’s unconscionable and deeply unjust. Yet, in an astounding display of vengeful bravado … last year, Trump loudly proclaimed his full support for Bolsonaro, condemned Brazil, and sought to use sky-high (50%) tariffs to punish Brazil for indicting and convicting him!
South Korea’s ex-president gets life in prison
Lastly, there’s the recent news out of South Korea. That nation just convicted its former president, Yoon Suk Yeol, of insurrection and illegally imposing martial law in late 2024, to try to silence and sideline the opposition party. He was suspended from office on Dec. 14, 2024, after being impeached by lawmakers; he was formally removed by the Constitutional Court in April 2025.
Yoon was just sentenced to life in prison. Five other seditious officials, including ex-Defense Minister Kim Yong Hyun, received long prison sentences. In today’s US, though, we’ve done nothing equivalent or even similar. Nothing, nada, since the time of Nixon in the 70s, despite many deplorable (yes, I used “that word”) events/patterns unfolding. Most notably, we’ve witnessed Trump’s endless, devious “fraud” accusations, his persistent undermining of public trust in US election systems, and the Jan. 6 insurrection itself.
In all these cases, severe punishment and/or banishment from politics were richly deserved. Instead, Trump was protected and rewarded — and continues to be coddled and shielded.
Once again, the US has been shown up and shamed by another “lesser” democracy.
The US is now a giant, anti-democratic ‘protection racket’
What can we conclude from this litany of foreign successes and ongoing US failures? It’s getting clearer and clearer that the US is not “the land of the free,” nor does it provide “liberty and justice for all.” (Though we could reasonably say the US is ‘the land of the free to plunder and lie.’)
The US has shown itself to be a faux democracy that is, in fact, much more of a plutocracy and oligarchy — where the rich and powerful are coddled, fawned over, and protected.
Despite our vaunted “separation of powers” and (formerly) powerful justice system, today’s US has proven to be singularly unable — or unwilling — to go after, prosecute, and convict highly-placed offenders, especially top politicians. The US is quick to praise and affirm “the rule of law,” but our laws don’t seem to apply to the rich and powerful. And they particularly aren’t applied to Resident Trump.
Here’s a glaring example. A recent NPR story states that many pages in the Epstein files implicating Trump were deliberately withheld by the DoJ, despite its claim that “everything” was made public. The article references a woman who alleged sexual abuse at Trump’s hands, stating:
a “woman who directly named Trump in her abuse allegation claimed that around 1983, when she was around 13 years old, Epstein introduced her to Trump “who subsequently forced her head down to his exposed penis which she subsequently bit. In response, Trump punched her in the head and kicked her out.”
Ugh. Where is the outrage? Where is justice?!
Two-tiered justice
In truth, the US seems utterly “stuck” in a flawed, two-tier justice system, where laws, rules, and “guardrails” apply to the non-rich, marginalized majority, while a tiny minority — the rich and powerful — get to do what they want (no matter how immoral or illegal) with little fear of accountability or consequences.
We could even say that the US has morphed into a thoroughly corrupt, giant “protection racket.” Today, a small minority of lawless offenders operates with almost total impunity. Meanwhile, the vast majority seethe and fume on the sidelines, and occasionally mount loud, ineffectual protests that (mainly) go nowhere.
The sick, sad truth is: today’s US is a total failure at ensuring equal, potent, and timely justice for all — including the rich, famous, and powerful. The US has become a disgrace and a pathetic laughingstock on the world stage.
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This post was previously published on MEDIUM.COM.
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