When Law Protects Power: Unmasking Legalized Blame Avoidance
Law is commonly imagined as the ultimate guardian of justice—objective, stable, and impartial. In public discourse, it is often invoked to settle disputes and resolve crises, serving as the final word on who bears responsibility. Yet beneath this reverence lies a troubling paradox. In political and bureaucratic life, the law is not always a force for accountability. Instead, it can function as a sophisticated shield—carefully constructed to deflect scrutiny, obscure causality, and protect those in power from the consequences of their actions.
This article explores how legal mechanisms operate not merely as instruments of governance but as tools of strategic blame avoidance. Through the lens of problematization, we can interrogate how laws that appear neutral are often designed to perform a very political task: to preserve authority while appearing to uphold fairness…
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