> All laws and treaties are forms of persuasion. No, they're forms of enforcement; no persuasion necessary. > They exist only to regulate people's behaviour.

> All laws and treaties are forms of persuasion. No, they're forms of enforcement; no persuasion necessary. > They exist only to regulate people's behaviour. Yes, through mandates. > They are prescriptive, not descriptive. Yes. > That qualifies them as rhetoric. No, it doesn't. Rhetoric is used to pass laws; once passed, they are implemented via technical non-rhetorical language, laws are not rhetoric.