this post was submitted on 28 Mar 2024
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Video footage broadcast Wednesday by Al Jazeera shows Israeli soldiers gunning down two Palestinians on the coast of northern Gaza, even as one of them waves what appears to be a piece of white fabric. The video then shows Israeli soldiers burying the bodies with a bulldozer.

Richard Falk, former United Nations special rapporteur on the human rights situation in the occupied Palestinian territories, toldAl Jazeera that the footage provides "vivid confirmation of continuing Israeli atrocities" and spotlights the "unambiguous character of Israeli atrocities that are being carried out on a daily basis."

"The eyes and ears of the world have been assaulted in real-time by this form of genocidal behavior," said Falk. "It is a shocking reality that there has been no adverse reaction from the liberal democracies in the West. It is a shameful moment."

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[–] Carrolade 6 points 5 months ago (3 children)

“It is a shocking reality that there has been no adverse reaction from the liberal democracies in the West.

Not that shocking, really. Liberalism would be self-determination everywhere, not the west protecting the world and instituting its own values. If someone somewhere else wants to operate under a different set of values where human life is not considered important, a liberal does not go over there and fix them.

Liberalism is not inherently "good", it's inherently hands-off. Like the Swiss. This is partly why its become somewhat out-dated as an ideology post-WW2. Expecting someone who believes in liberty to control the fates of lands and peoples not their own is misunderstanding it though. That's not liberty, it's the spreading exertion of power and influence--the opposite of liberty.

Liberty doesn't defend anything except itself. This is the root of US isolationism tendencies, and why hating the UN is so common here.

[–] [email protected] 18 points 5 months ago (1 children)

Liberalism is not inherently “good”, it’s inherently hands-off

It is absolutely not 'hands-off', it just denies the existence of externalized power structures inherent in capital and neo-colonialism and uses them to exert influence instead of (or in addition to, rather) the old imperialist tools of direct violence. It hides behind the rhetoric of self-determination while exerting its corrupting influence through capital and soft-power.

Liberalism is a delusion of neutrality and a scourge to liberty everywhere.

[–] Carrolade 0 points 5 months ago (1 children)

No, that's just communist ideology trying to demonize everything that isn't itself.

Actual liberty does not inherently guarantee freedom from all oppression, as that would be an institution from a higher authority. It gives a certain liberty to oppress, which is why it so often exists hand-in-hand with capitalism. To do otherwise would require some form of authority to prevent oppression, which contradicts the core idea.

This is another facet of the post-WW2 reasons it has become somewhat out-dated. Also, note, I'm talking about the core of the ideology, not its history of implementation by flawed men. Similar to how I would not try to criticize Marxist ideology by looking at everyone who has claimed to be a communist.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 5 months ago (1 children)

No, that’s just communist ideology trying to demonize everything that isn’t itself.

It's not an ideological statement to observe that liberalism abdicates the power of state governance to economic and capitalistic structures, nor is it ideological to observe that economic structures can -and do- wield just as much coercive power over individuals, states, and institutions as any state structure can.

However, asserting that "liberalism is inherently hands-off" is an ideological statement, because it pretends as if market and capital systems and structures are somehow outside of its responsibility even though those structures are central to its functioning as conceived by Locke and Hobbes.

To pretend as if the US's economic power is some kind of aberration of 'true liberalism' is just absurd, though not surprising because I doubt Hobbes or Locke could have imagined the scale of influence and domination a liberal democracy like the United States now enjoys.

[–] Carrolade -1 points 5 months ago (2 children)

Partial abdication, I'll grant that. What is ideological is to assume that something else exhibiting coercive power is some inherent negative. Liberalism specifically does not want a full monopoly on coercive power to be in the hands of any single system or institution. Instead it spreads it out.

That you see that as some negative or flaw is simply representative of your own position. Many institutions wielding coercive power is not inherently dangerous, just perhaps inefficient.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 5 months ago (1 children)

Liberalism specifically does not want a full monopoly on coercive power to be in the hands of any single system or institution.

But it does nothing to prevent it from accumulating, and does even less to prevent a state from accumulating too much power. A sovereign state that is dependent on the economic support of another that is 50+ times its size is no more free from tyranny than one living under the imperialist occupation of a monarch.

That you see that as some negative or flaw is simply representative of your own position

I don't see anything negative about spreading power into as many hands as possible, but I'm not delusional enough to believe liberalism can achieve that if it ignores the inherent power in capital.

Liberalism was foundational to transitioning away from monarchical power, but was simply ill-equipped (possibly intentionally so) to anticipate the inevitable failures caused by ignoring/denying the existence of power exercised through capital and the accumulation thereof.

[–] Carrolade 2 points 5 months ago (1 children)
[–] [email protected] 3 points 5 months ago

Good read, thanks guys.

[–] Keeponstalin 3 points 5 months ago (7 children)

Did you really say exhibiting coercive power isn't inherently negative? I'd say in both imperialism and Neocolonialism it certainly is as it's used to exploit the global south population and resources at their expense.

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[–] [email protected] 18 points 5 months ago (35 children)

But then you can't call the US a liberal democracy in any way as they aren't hands-off at all. Time and time again they meddle in other countries' business to exert influence and power and to advance their interests.

Israel itself was created by the West as Palestine was a British colony before and the US has since given more support to Israel than they would usually grant an ally. The continuous protection (political and militaristic) makes Israel almost a vassal state of the US. This is the real reason why "liberal democracies" have not reacted much (yet, hopefully).

[–] [email protected] 6 points 5 months ago* (last edited 5 months ago)

Before we low-key split from Pakistan, they had a similar symbiotic/parasitic relation as the US does with Israel. Seen as a good ally/possible partner diplomatically and with military utility for bases and CENTCOM power projection. And though Pakistan was never really ‘on side’ for a couple of reasons, they kept themselves under the radar and out of our ire - until we found Taliban militants regularly getting refuge and medical care over the Afghan-Pak border, and capped off with discovering Bin Laden in Pakistan.

Israel is hardly a ‘vassal’ or even protectorate. The US has significant leverage, but Israel has remained cordial with Russia and China even if that means snubbing the US - Israel refused to export anti-ship and cruise missiles to Ukraine, in deference to Chinese and Russian interests. Israel has options now to split from the US (painful as it may be) unlike in the 60/70s when the Soviets were funneling weapons to Egypt and Syria, and Israel required US support.

All that to say, Israel can (and may yet) tell the US to kick rocks again, and I don’t think the west is ready for the reality of what enforcing a ceasefire/no-fly zone would mean.

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[–] Linkerbaan 16 points 5 months ago (4 children)

The classic hands off approach of sending israel weapons and money to commit Genocide with.

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