- The Biden administration claims that there are not many similarities between Gaza and Ukraine.
- Palestine has been regarded as a unique historical case and as the US’s exclusive domain.
- Due to the consideration of proportionality, the Israeli response to the bombings of Gaza and Mariupol is more nuanced.
The ambiguity displayed by the West about Gaza reveals a global order that is being challenged for control of the world discourse. In addition to provoking hand-wringing from liberals and lawyers, Joe Biden’s decision to support Israel’s tactics in Gaza and denounce Russia’s in Ukraine is already having a practical impact on relations between the West and East and the North and South of the world, with potentially long-lasting effects.
Although the Biden administration is hesitant to veer from its current path and claims that there are not many similarities between Gaza and Ukraine, it appears that it is quickly losing diplomatic support.
United States government
One finds it more difficult to maintain that America is still the most important country when, as occurred when they rejected a ceasefire resolution for Gaza this December, the US and Israel are joined at the UN general assembly by just eight other countries, including Micronesia and Nauru.
Vladimir Putin, on the other hand, “really feels everything at this point is trending in his favor” following a period of his international isolation.
Much of the Global South believes that the US is selective, thus this will probably lead to a larger reckoning. In international politics, Palestine has been regarded as a unique historical case and as the US’s exclusive domain.
One of two things will probably happen if the US defense of Israel goes further awry: either transactional, non-ideological partnerships will become more common, or nations will start forum shopping or using strategic hedging more frequently.
On the other hand, America might have to deal with more powerful and expansive alternative blocs, like the enlarged BRICS under Putin’s leadership this year or other alliances led by China.
Putin did not invade and destroy Ukrainian cities out of self-defense, but rather as an exercise of Russian empire and might. Due to the consideration of proportionality, the Israeli response to the bombings of Gaza and Mariupol is more nuanced. When Israel launched its attack on Gaza, the West, with a few notable exceptions, became silent.
While pressing Israel to abide by humanitarian law, the UK’s UN delegates never stated whether Israel had done so or not. Speaking exclusively in the conditional tense, Western leaders said they were unable to decide since this was a legal question.
The United States government determined in March 2022 that Russian military personnel had engaged in war crimes within the territory of Ukraine. U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris reaffirmed in February 2023 that the United States will pursue justice for the war crimes and crimes against humanity that the Russians continue to commit.
