One observation is the lack of personal rights protecting against host-state whims is a cautionary tale repeated throughout history, and may manifest in any num

One observation is the lack of personal rights protecting against host-state whims is a cautionary tale repeated throughout history, and may manifest in any number of political systems. Another theory points out that democratic republics are fundamentally vulnerable to regime changes, and inevitably develops an achilles' heel that manifests as its citizens can no longer distinguish basic facts from their own fictional narratives or media. I doubt Sun Tzu fully recognized that perpetually testing fate by harassing random people was a poor strategy for survival. =)