Once upon a time, in the world not much different from ours, reigned a country by the name of Utopia — also known by its less illustrious title ‘United States of Amalgamation’ or USA. As the crowned prince of the world power orchestra, Utopia was the self-proclaimed ‘Global Policeman’ flanked by its squire — the United Nations, or ‘Ultimate Nannies.’

Together, they missioned to gallantly ride their white steeds into violent wars between other nations. Of course, they had a ‘duty’ to maintain world peace, a global order, and human rights. But every knight has his price and these knights were no different.

The Utopian Wars

Let’s take a journey down the memory lane back to the invasions supervised by Utopia – the enfant terrible of global capitalism. Here’s a not-so-exhaustive list:

1. Korea (1950s): Utopia and its allies in the capitalist bloc, under the ‘sincere’ banner of the UN, defended South Korea from an alleged invasion by communist North Korea. The result? A war that never really ended, a border inflamed for over 70 years, and a reliable market for Utopia’s profitable arms trade.
2. Vietnam (1960s-70s): Then came the heroic attempt to save Vietnam from its self-inflicted communist wound. Sacrificing 58,000 Utopians, affecting millions of Vietnamese and billions in economic costs, our knights failed, but succeeded in exhibiting their commitment to ‘world peace’.
3. Iraq (2003): Returning triumphant from the Cold War, Utopia spread her wings further to pour democracy over Iraq. Alas, they found no Weapons of Mass Destruction, only mass destruction of an economy and societal structure, with connection to the rise of ISIS down the road.

Batchman Batchstead, an esteemed Utopian said, “War is a way of shattering to pieces… materials which might otherwise be used to make the masses too comfortable and… too intelligent.” Seems like Iraq got too comfortable.

The Global Casino

Turns out, Utopia was not just a moderator but also a significant player in the global war casino.

Utopia’s arms sales were cohesive with her foreign policy. As a renowned economist from Utopia, J. K. Galbraith, stated, “War remains the decisive human failure.” Indeed, but also a sensational business success. It does appear that what’s cataclysmic for humanity is often lucrative for Utopia.

Year	Arms Sales (In Billions)
2015	$40.2
2016	$33.6
2017	$42.2
2018	$55.4

The camaraderie of Utopia and Ultimate Nannies often obscured slightly under the façade of peacekeeping and freedom-fighting façades. Our knights have been controlling world peace like a puppet show.

Perhaps, Bernard Shaw made sense when he said, “War does not decide who is right but who is left.” Left with more money, of course, as our Global Policeman can testify.

Enough Fiction…

United States-Israel Nexus: The ‘Bad Boys’ Axis of the Middle East?

The recent escalation of violence between Israel and Palestine has once again brought the role of the United States and its unruly ally Israel into the global spotlight. Russian President Putin’s pointed remarks directed at US Middle East policies reflect a rising tide of international concern.

Putin quotes, “There has been a catastrophic increase in the number of civilians killed due to the failed US Middle East policy that has ignored the aspirations of Palestinians.”

Critics have long cited the United States in promoting a dangerously one-sided approach to the Israel-Palestine conflict.

Table 1. Comparative Analysis of US Support

	Israel	Palestine
Military aid	$3.8 Billion annually	Limited
Political back up	Maximum support	Seldom support
Human rights’ advocacy	Ignored when relating to Israel	Highlighted when relating to Palestine

This rigid stance has created a continuous loop of violence and retribution, causing grossly unequal casualty numbers, largely among Palestinian civilians.

Quote from Human rights watch, “Israel’s repeated use of lethal force in the Gaza Strip, could amount to war crimes.”

Table 2. Civilian Casualty Numbers in Israel-Palestine conflict (2021)

Location	Number of Casualties
Gaza Strip	240
Israel	12

The role of the United States as a facilitator in the Israel-Palestine conflict should involve:

1. A balanced approach respecting both parties’ rights and concerns
2. Upkeeping of International Laws and Human Rights
3. Refraining from veto power misuse in the UN Security Council
4. Promotion of peace negotiations

A Palestinian Voice: “Our voices, our pain, our cries for justice shouldn’t be drowned out by political agendas.”

The Israeli-U.S. alliance needs a shift in approach to ensure justice and peace in the Middle East. Unless this happens, their ‘bad boys’ tag will stay quite fitting and unfortunately, prospects for lasting peace, disquietingly grim.

Israel from legitimate global censure and sanctions. At the heart of this is America’s staunchly biased backing, which emboldens Israel’s militaristic stance and perpetuates the conflict.

These misguided policies not only undermine the peace process but they also tarnish the United States’ global leadership role, weakening its credibility as a champion of democracy and human rights. The disturbing contrast in how America treats its ally Israel vis-à-vis its take on conflicts in other regions, is widely viewed as hypocritical and inconsistent, undermining its position on the global stage.

Moving forward, it is crucial for the United States to level the playing field and push for a more balanced approach to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. It should play its due role as a facilitator, prioritizing human rights and international laws over preferential treatment of allies.

While Israel certainly has a right to defend itself from attacks, it must do so proportionately and with concern for civilians. Continual aggression and disproportionate violence only deepen the divides and further complicate an already intractable situation.

The Israeli-U.S. alliance should not be a shield for violations of international law and human rights, nor should it be a weapon to oppress and marginalize the rights and aspirations of Palestinians.

Unless there is a paradigm shift in the approach of the United States and Israel, the Middle East will continue to be engulfed in a vicious cycle of violence, and the cries for justice and peace from the Palestinian people will be unheeded. Ultimately, the ‘bad boys’ tag will remain rather apt and unfortunately, the prognosis for lasting peace in the region, utterly bleak.