Just a month ago the American ambassador to Iceland recently made a joke that demanded formal explanation from the Icelandic state; the ambassador apologized for the "joke" and misunderstanding immediately.
Anyone taking bets who will be made persona non grata first?
"Charles Kushner is an American real-estate developer, diplomat, and disbarred attorney serving since 2025 as the United States ambassador to France and Monaco...
...In 2005, Kushner was convicted of illegal campaign contributions, tax evasion, and witness tampering, and was sentenced to two years' imprisonment, which he served in the Federal Prison Camp, Montgomery. As a convicted felon, he was also disbarred in three states. He later received a pardon issued by his son's father-in-law, President Trump, on December 23, 2020. Kushner has donated significant amounts to Trump's campaigns..."
Is there a point at which the corruption is so blatant and ubiquitous that the government just collapses? If nothing they say is true, and no action they take is fair... how is that different from a failed state? Does the loss of faith in government institutions cause corruption or the other way around?
Just a month ago the American ambassador to Iceland recently made a joke that demanded formal explanation from the Icelandic state; the ambassador apologized for the "joke" and misunderstanding immediately.
Anyone taking bets who will be made persona non grata first?
"US ambassador to Israel says country has right to much of Middle East" - https://www.itv.com/news/2026-02-21/us-ambassador-to-israel-...
"Charles Kushner is an American real-estate developer, diplomat, and disbarred attorney serving since 2025 as the United States ambassador to France and Monaco...
...In 2005, Kushner was convicted of illegal campaign contributions, tax evasion, and witness tampering, and was sentenced to two years' imprisonment, which he served in the Federal Prison Camp, Montgomery. As a convicted felon, he was also disbarred in three states. He later received a pardon issued by his son's father-in-law, President Trump, on December 23, 2020. Kushner has donated significant amounts to Trump's campaigns..."
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Kushner
Is there a point at which the corruption is so blatant and ubiquitous that the government just collapses? If nothing they say is true, and no action they take is fair... how is that different from a failed state? Does the loss of faith in government institutions cause corruption or the other way around?
Collapse? No. It will cheat to stay, and if anything happens, it will use force to remain. Lots of dictators get voted in.