The free fall of the world of Western ideals

A year ago, and at the end of 2022, I wrote an article published on these pages entitled "The Year of the Fall of Western Blinds" after that year witnessed what we envisioned as the summit of Western duplication in dealing with the Ukraine war and considering Western officials that a war in Europe is a disaster for the whole world. We heard a speech after another that demands the governments of the peoples of the world to line up with the West to protect a "global system" that allowed wars such as wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, as well as Palestine ... and a global system that considered wars in Asia and Africa crises that must be prevented from spreading their consequences instead of striving to stop them. European welcome to Ukrainian refugees, compared to dealing with Afghan, Somali, Iraqis and Syrians, also raised many questions about Western humanitarian standards.

But these questions diminish and appear faded after the events of 2023. This year came to appear on the verge of the bottom with regard to Western values. Rather, we saw this year, which means any American attempt to pretend to be committed to these ideals on the ground. The war on Gaza, which claimed the lives of 21,500 Palestinians, at least, and children and women represent about 65 percent of them, so far, and made 90 percent of the people of Gaza displaced, and led to a total collapse of the health and food regimes of the sector, is a tragedy in the full sense of the word. This tragedy is implemented by Israel without deterrent because of the absolute American support. Yes, there are important details such as Hamas's responsibility for the October 7 attack and complications for the regional scene and the role of armed groups, but at the heart of this disaster, the absolute American cover of Israel and the continued Israeli occupation of Palestine. When the US National Security Council spokesman, John Kirby, says, repeatedly, that the administration of the US President refuses to put any "red lines" for Israel in Palestine, and that the killing of thousands of Palestinian children is "the reality of any war", we remember how I was crying during a press interview at Talking about Ukrainian children. Of course, Ukraine faces a harsh war, and the Russian role in Ukraine and Syria is devastating, but Ukraine, or any other country, has not witnessed destruction and the total indifference to the most basic rights of civilians.

American support for Israel is not new or surprising, but the extent of the Israeli perseverance with a total American support. The term "ceasefire" has become a "provocative" expression with the eyes of Washington, which is doing everything in its power to prevent the official claim of it, while the Western position in all previous wars was "the necessity of self -control" and work towards a "ceasefire", which is the weakest faith. Washington's use of the veto again after the United Nations Security Council, and its insistence on changing a draft resolution of humanitarian aid, in order not to fail, is two other models of American support for Israel, in addition to the absolute material and military support.

This war is the war of President Joe Biden, the "Zionist", according to his statements over the past decades, and US officials assert that he personally supervises his country's position on Israel. Thus, there is a new reality, the Arab world must deal with, especially with the approaching US elections in November.

In an article released on October 4 in the magazine "Foreign Affairs", that is, 3 days before the "Hamas" attack, National Security Adviser Jake Salivan claimed that the Biden administration followed a strategy "reduces the risks of new Middle Eastern disputes", and made it able to devote himself to other areas of the world. He added, "We will work with any country ready to defend the principles of the United Nations Charter, while we support the transparent governance that complies with its people, and we also support the reformists and human rights defenders." But we saw a few days after publishing the article that this pledge was not serious. In an article, which was 7,000 words, Salivan wrote: "We have reduced the severity of crises in Gaza." 3 days after the Gaza war erupted, the article was modified electronically, while the paper version remains for history. There are facts that cannot be erased electronically, whatever the powerful want.

The Gaza war introduced the region and the world a new stage, its features have not been determined yet, but it certainly showed the failure of the policy of "containing" the crisis of the Israeli occupation of Palestine, and the United States failed to adhere to the United Nations Charter.

It was not yet called the name of the era we are living. After the Second World War, there was a "Cold War", followed by the "post -Cold War" stage of the United States' control over the international scene and the end of the Soviet Union. Then the stage of "war on terror", which was the last chapter, was the signing of Washington on an agreement that brought Afghanistan to the rule of the "Taliban" movement.

Of course, there are continuous pillars, such as the American -Chinese competition, the repercussions of the rise of India, the economic decline in economic, and international issues such as climate change and energy sources. It is also not possible to ignore the fact that Western cities have witnessed the largest pro -Palestine demonstrations, which still enjoy relatively freedom of expression and unique political movement. Demographic and political diversity in those countries must be calculated in the next stage.

If the year 2022 was the fall of Western ideas, then the year 2023 years is the full rift between humanitarian ideals, and the global governance systems, which were dominated by the West after the end of World War II. What comes after this rift will determine the course of the whole world and for a period of non -perspective.

Source: Alsharq Al Awsat