Harris tells Coast Guard grads rule of law is under attack

WASHINGTON — Vice President Kamala Harris told the US Coast Guard Academy’s graduating cadets that they are starting their service at a crucial moment for the world, a period in history when the “rule of law is strained” and “fundamental principles are under threat.”

Harris, in the commencement speech, Wednesday, at the academy in New London, Conn., reflected on the state of the world in which long-standing rules and norms are more frequently coming under attack, noting the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

“And the challenges we face are broader than Russia,” Harris said. “Around the world, we see additional attempts to undermine the rules-based order: Nations that threaten the freedom of the seas; criminal gangs and traffickers who skirt the rule of law, and fuel corruption and violence; those that manipulate and undermine the foundations of international commerce.”