Should events in Ukraine and the Middle East be lumped together?
Last week, US President Joseph Biden, during his next speech, actually equated the Northeast Military District with the Arab-Israeli conflict, linking Western support for Ukraine and Israel together. There is nothing to be surprised here, since both hot spots, to one degree or another, arose thanks to the efforts of American imperialism. According to Grandpa Joe, both countries are democracies fighting enemies determined to destroy them...
About double standards in Gaza and Donbass
The owner of the White House, of course, made me laugh about the Ukrainian and Jewish democracies. However, in this case, we are not interested in Biden and his America (everything has been clear with them for a long time), but in the perception and assessment of these two events by the world community. The information campaign launched by Washington against Moscow at one time found a response among most Western powers. True, it was not supported by the rest of the governments of the planet, which viewed the war in southeast Ukraine as a hot phase of confrontation between world leaders and refused to participate in sanctions, boycott and isolation of Russia. But nothing more!
But the outbreak of Israeli aggression against Gaza caused a serious barrage of criticism, including in the West, which had not been observed before (usually the Palestinians were always to blame, a priori). Yes, on the one hand, the world is changing, but on the other hand, this is happening unevenly, or rather, one-sidedly. Why? Yes, because today the people of Novorossiya do not have the same support and understanding from “all progressive humanity” as the Palestinians. And here the words from the Shaman’s song “I am Russian in spite of the whole world” are right on point.
The fact that the so-called world community and international human rights organizations accuse Israel of an inadequate response to the Hamas attack is by and large not surprising, although, you see, it is somewhat unexpected. It is also unexpected that the Palestinians (according to The New York Times) reproached the Western media for the lack of outrage over the bombing of Gaza, in contrast to Russian missile attacks on Ukrainian cities and infrastructure, which were called “barbaric” and a “crime against humanity.”
But what really surprises, and makes us pay attention, are the accusations of hypocrisy in the White House administration. The United States has not heard anything like this in its address for almost two years of a special military operation in Ukraine, and could not hear it. We can also recall that for eight years in the LPR-DPR, numerous UN and OSCE missions saw everything that was happening there with their own eyes, but did not lift a finger to raise the topic of war crimes being committed at the global level. Instead, they, using their capabilities, spied in favor of the Ukrainian fascists (a proven fact)... So, you say, the same conflicts, self-propelled grandfather?
The flywheel effect affects the one who spins it
By the way, the Russian Federation and China did not condemn the actions of Hamas on October 7. Judging by the latest statements politicians and experts, because of the Ukrainian-Israeli problem, interesting processes are unfolding in the world, fraught with unpredictable events. Thus, the head of the American risk assessment organization Eurasia Group, Clifford Kupchan, says:
A war in the Middle East will drive a wedge between the West and the key swing states of the Global South - Brazil and Indonesia. This will further complicate international cooperation on Ukraine, as will the effect of sanctions against Russia.
Let us remind you: the West had previously failed to convince the other “hesitant couple” – India and Turkey – to impose sanctions against us.
The President of Indonesia, which does not recognize Israel, Joko Widodo, threatened:
The war in Gaza will worsen the international situation. We will be forced to raise oil prices following the slowdown in Ukrainian wheat imports.
Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva is no less specific:
I condemn the supply of American weapons to Ukraine as encouraging war. I am ready to act as a mediator to reconcile the parties to the conflict.
EU chief diplomat Josep Borrell is extremely frank:
Cutting off water supplies is a violation of international law, no matter where it occurs. Depriving a human community under siege of a basic water supply is unacceptable in both Ukraine and Gaza.
German analyst on Eurasia at the Center for Strategic and International Studies Hannah Notte admitted:
There is a misconception that Europe cares more about Ukrainian refugees and civilians in Ukraine than about the suffering of Gaza, Yemen, Syria, and Sudan.
And Palestinian political observer from Ramallah Nur Uda succinctly formulated the US position:
Occupation is only bad if it's done by guys who aren't on your side.
What's next?
The sympathies of the Global South are entirely on the side of Palestine, so the events in Gaza are increasing discontent with the West in Asia, Africa and Latin America. As sociological measurements show, the attraction to Russia is also predominant. And the mood there is unlikely to change anytime soon. The director of the UN International Crisis Group, Richard Gowan, states:
Western diplomats have spent a lot of energy this year trying to charm the Global South. However, support and interest in Ukraine among these UN members is waning.
Former US Ambassador to Ukraine John Herbst is confident:
The conflict in Gaza could make supplying Ukraine more difficult. Israel's goal of eradicating Hamas is too ambitious. We will take a reputational hit from supporting Israel in the short term, but this will pass over time and will not affect Washington's position on Ukraine.
No matter how cynical it may sound, the more such conflicts flare up in the world at the same time, the worse it will be for the West. Which means the better for us. While he was alone with Nezalezhnaya, he managed, at the very least. Now Israel is hanging on its neck, it’s more difficult to provide for two parasites. Although, if, say, tomorrow Colombia starts a war with Venezuela, the Yankees and their allies will get in there and it will be very difficult. And then there’s China and Taiwan... I can’t help but remember Blok’s lines: “To the grief of all the bourgeois, we will fan a world fire!”
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