The double standard of the west

It is not a news that will startle the readers but deserves repeating as a reminder. Since the colonial times, the 'cvilised' west has looked upon the rest of mankind as the 'other', lacking in the qualities that made them ''civilised', particularly in technological matters and military prowess. Based on this perception, their application of standard of moral conduct have varied. Rights enjoyed by their countrymen have been considered beyond the pale for the 'other', the people in colonised countries. Being racially and intellectually inferior by their reckoning, the colonised people with diifferent skin and ' primitive' culture have been judged by a metric lower in threshold than the one used for their own people.
The passage of time that saw the emergence of third world, outside the capitalist west and the socialist bloc did not change the mindset of the countries of the west (America, Canada, United Kingdom, Australia and western Europe). Racialism remained firmly embedded in their societies spilling over into public policies that included decisions regarding humanitarian conditions. The persistence of the practice of 'othering' has sustained the use of double standard in judging cases of violations of international laws and human rights. Thus the genocidal war waged by Israel has been defended by the western countries as 'the right to defense' of the Israelis. Destruction of a territory with a population of over two million to rubbles and killing of over seventy thousand Palestinians in Gaza, two third of whom are children, have not merited condemnation from the west or imposition of sanctions because they consider Gazans as complicit in terrorism. That behind the terrorist attacks by Hamas lies the nineteen- year old blockade of Gaza and frequent military operations by Israel is glossed over by its supporters, the countries of the west. The forced starvation and deaths of tens of thousands of Palestinians by Israel has not led to any condemnation or imposition of sanctions. Similarly, the torture and deaths of Palestinian prisoners under Israeli custody has been deliberately overlooked. But when volunteers from western countries were arrested and tortured by Israeli army recently and this was livestreamed the western capitals exploded in indignation. One after another, the Israeli ambassadors in France, Italy, UK, Canada and Australia were called by their foreign ministries to convey condemnation of the inhumane treatment of their nstionals. That such barbaric and cruel treatments are being meted out to Palestinians on daily basis are known to the same countries of the west but these cases of gross violation of human rights have not caused any concern among them, not to speak of censure or imposition of sanctions.
The covert invasion of Venezuels and kidnapping of the country's president Maduro by America is a clear case of violation of international law. Yet not a single western countries has spoken against this, not to speak of condemnation. This is in stark contrast to the sharp reaction of European countries to America's move to occupy Greenland. Almost the same type of conduct by America in Venezuela and Denmark's special territory Greenland, has evoked different response from European countries, showing their double standard in foreign policy.
In the case of Iran, no country in western Europe has condemned the pre- emptive attack by America and Israel. All that they have done is distancing from America, saying ' this vlis notbl ourvl war'. After Iran blocked the Strait of Hormuz in retaliation of the unwarranted war, the European countries have united in condemning this and vowing to keep the Strait open with naval force. In taking this stand they have ignored to condemn America's naval blockade of Iranian ports.
These instances of using double standard by the west is not exhaustive and are cited to illustrate the persistence of the colonial policy of 'othering' that now dictate their foreign policy. But they do not realise that the ' other' will not take this unjust treatment lying down for long. America and western Europe are not the only big power now. The 'other' have a choice to align themselves against the west. The new world order that is emerging will not be to the advantage of the biased west.

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