GEORGE Washington declared in his farewell address that “It is our true policy to steer clear of permanent alliance with any portion of the foreign world”.

Later, through negotiation, purchase, conflicts, and conquests, the United States grew.

In the late 1800s, the ambition to acquire geopolitical influence started with the war to expel Spain from Cuba. The instant prize was Guam, the Philippines, and Puerto Rico. It annexed Hawaii.

When Japan bombed Pearl Harbour, the country entered World War 2. In 1945, it dropped atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. More than 400,000 soldiers died. Seventy million people perished as a result of the violence, disease and famine.

Surprisingly, the American economy took off during the war, nearly doubling between 1939 and 1945 from the ratchet effect. Western Europe’s economy contracted by 18% and Japan’s was cut in half.

America next decided to promote postwar peace and prosperity. It wished to ensure the collapse of Europe did not pave the way for the expansion of the Soviet Union. It started a geopolitical rivalry called the Cold War and Nato was born. In Asia, it tried to prevent the spread of communism.

It created the United Nations, the World Bank, and the International Monetary Fund to govern international security and monetary policy. These bodies supported the country’s hegemony over the world for more than 70 years, carrying its brand of democracy and world order.

Then it started world policing.

The 9/11 strike killed nearly 3,000 people. But post-9/11 wars in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iraq, Syria, and elsewhere directly killed nearly a million people, mostly civillians, including journalists and humanitarian workers. 

It conducted drone strikes in non-battlefield settings. It deliberately killed an American citizen and denied his constitutional rights to a fair trial, raising constitutional questions on war on terror.

During the Cold War, the terms “terrorist” and “subversive” were largely reserved for Soviet-backed insurgents, communist sympathisers and civil rights leaders campaigning for equality.

But terrorism is the systematic use of terror especially as a means of coercion. What about the ambition to acquire geopolitical influence and interventions?

The US president seeks to restore the country as a global leader.

But the world does not buy this. Western democracy is in retreat, and climate, health, and security threats abound. All mainly brought about by the US. At home, challenging issues include racial injustice, economic uncertainty, inequality, and far-right extremism. 

Many of its citizens had grown disillusioned, especially on matters of military intervention, costly wars, and the supply of weapons. University students protesting the Israel-Hamas war demand greater transparency. Columbia clamped down on a pro-Palestinian protest, lwhich ran contrary to the norms and traditions of the Ivy League school. According to an Education Department database, about 100 US colleges have reported gifts or contracts from Israel totalling US$375 million over the past two decades.

On the other side, there were negotiations with Hamas in Cairo. The UK foreign secretary expected the Israel to “abide by international humanitarian law” and said “Our backing is not unconditional”.

The British prime minister called for the release of Palestinian captives and an immediate pause in fighting. But he added, “We continue to stand by Israel’s right to defeat the threat from Hamas terrorists”. 

What about the cost of the destruction, including crippled hospitals and the near-total destruction of infrastructure?

Nearly 85% of Gaza’s 2.3 million people have been displaced and nearly 90,000 housing units destroyed. More than 34,000 have been killed, about 72% of whom were women and children, and 7,000 are missing. Half of Gaza’s population are living through catastrophic food insecurity. Starvation is used as weapon of war. 

The sheer brutality has provoked calls for a unified stand against this brand of terrorism and hatred.

There is also growing global opposition to Israel’s offensive in Palestine. Even the Pope has condemned the Zionist government.

Meantime, Israel continued its onslaught and preparing to “deliver additional and painful blows” in Rafah. Its main supporter, the US, has vetoed UN Security Council resolutions calling for ceasefire on three occasions.

What brand of democracy is this?

The Zionist government has attacked the Iranian consulate in Damascus – a grave miscalculation and a game-changer. It stretched already depleted military resources. For a long time, Iran has been framed as the bad guy while the aggressor acted with impunity.

Retaliation was not forthcoming, unlike when Iraq fired missiles in 1991.

The Israeli prime minister is being indicted on charges of fraud, breach of trust and bribery. It is believed that the International Criminal Court will issue arrest warrants against senior Israeli officials, including the prime minister for breaching the Fourth Geneva Convention. Now, only 15% of its citizen say they want him to remain in office after the war.

The world had overlooked the world policeman’s malign activity around the world, its sponsorship of terrorism, and its destabilising attacks through its proxies in the respective regions. Check Wikileaks for more information.

Stop trying to export your brand of democracy, weapons and terrorism and keep to exporting goods for the benefit of mankind.

Someone once said, “Once you bloody the bully’s nose, and he knows he’s going to be punched again, he’s not coming back around.”

What say you… – April 30, 2024.

* Saleh Mohammed reads The Malaysian Insight.
 

* This is the opinion of the writer or publication and does not necessarily represent the views of The Malaysian Insight. Article may be edited for brevity and clarity.