In Washington, D.C., a proposed monumental arch has become something more unsettling than a civic landmark: a structure that, if built as described, would house drone operations and sniper positions within its walls. The Trump administration, facing mounting resistance, has turned to national security as its governing justification — a rhetorical move that reveals how the language of safety can be wielded to insulate controversial decisions from ordinary scrutiny. The question this moment poses is ancient and unresolved: when does the invocation of collective security become a means of foreclo