‘Banana Republics’: The repeated case of Western hypocrisy

College students, professors, and activists from throughout the US are gathered on their respective campuses to point out solidarity with Palestinians amid the warfare on Gaza and demand an finish to Israeli atrocities in direction of Palestinians. However the Biden administration, with the assistance of college administrations, has cracked down on college students’ and academia’s peaceable protests in assist of Palestine. New York police have arrested greater than 100 college students, together with professors, and proven brutality throughout arrest, a therapy usually reserved for people related to al Qaeda. The current brutality confronted by the peaceable demonstrators within the US, labeled as terrorists by regulation enforcement companies, has laid naked a obtrusive double normal within the Biden administration’s so-called human rights and democracy. On this context, the deafening silence of Western powers within the face of their very own transgressions speaks volumes.

The hypocrisy of Western policymakers relating to their unchecked energy and self-righteousness stays an incredible concern for the World South. They function and intrude beneath the belief that their actions are at all times reliable and democratic, even at a human value. In distinction, if such atrocities, as people who occurred within the US, have been perpetuated in nations like Bangladesh or India, the outcry from Western capitals and human rights teams can be resounding. Even the US spending billions of {dollars} within the battle of Ukraine and Israel, with little regard for harmless lives, portrays the victims as mere collateral injury within the pursuit of perpetuating the military-industrial advanced that fuels Western economies and political careers.

On April 24, 2024, US Home Speaker Mike Johnson visited the Columbia campus and intimidated peaceable scholar demonstrators for his or her freedom of expression by threatening to withhold funding from universities that enable pro-Palestinian protests. That is how criticism within the USA is stifled, and dissent is quashed beneath the guise of sustaining stability and safety. The silence of the media, human rights NGOs, and lawmakers within the face of Western aggression is a testomony to the entrenched pursuits that dominate world politics. In the meantime, the voices of these within the World South, who bear the brunt of US imperialism, are marginalized and ignored.

The world is witnessing the double normal of the administration of President Joe Biden, whereby the US condemns or punishes its adversaries, corresponding to Russia, however ignores or excuses its buddies, corresponding to Israel. Right here, the US shouldn’t be solely ignoring worldwide but additionally home regulation, particularly the so-called Leahy Legislation. Now, the notion of Western democracy and morality has been uncovered as a facade, concealing a system constructed on exploitation and violence. It’s crucial for us to problem Western narratives and assert our personal companies in shaping the way forward for our world. We should reject the label of “Banana Republics” thrust upon us by Western Powers and assert our proper to self-determination and sovereignty.

Moreover, we name upon the residents of Western nations to hitch us in our battle for peace and justice. It isn’t sufficient to passively profit from the spoils of imperialism; we should actively work to dismantle the techniques of oppression that perpetuate violence and exploitation across the globe. We urge Western residents to take to the streets and demand an finish to the funding of wars and the prioritization of income over human lives.

It’s crucial for nations within the World South to interrupt free from the shackles of Western hegemony and converse out towards the injustices perpetrated by Western powers. We should condemn the aggression and exploitation which have turn into hallmarks of Western international coverage. The time has come for us to unite in solidarity and demand an finish to the vicious cycle of warfare and domination.