27 Comments
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Sonbol A.'s avatar

History shows that all empires will fall, but it's kind of wild to be alive at a time when we have a front row seat to the fall of the US empire.

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Robert  Taylor's avatar

Ya mean the Fourth Reich - Israel

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The Word Herder's avatar

Yeah, it's a bit unnerving when your seat is UNDER the seat...

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𝓙𝓪𝓼𝓶𝓲𝓷𝓮 𝓦𝓸𝓵𝓯𝓮's avatar

Governments and laws exist to protect the ruling class. When the rulers step out of line, the protesters against them get arrested.

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A.P. Murphy's avatar

It's like the Holy Roman Empire, which was neither Holy, Roman nor an Empire. In the same way Liberal Democracy is neither liberal (in fact authoritarian when the chips are down) nor democratic, since it directs policy in direct contradiction to the majority of its voters.

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The Word Herder's avatar

Good job on this.

As an American, I abhor the long history of bullying and abuse and just plain out murder my country has deployed on others. From that perspective, I welcome some change. From the perspective of someone who lives here in the US, it's a little frightening to think about what will happen to Americans, the "regular folks" who never wanted any of this hegemony and genocide anyway.

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Mazirian's avatar

As long as people remain ignorant and sign up to wear a uniform it will continue. I understand that for many it’s the only path out of virtual poverty but it’s better to be a peasant than to sell your soul.

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The Word Herder's avatar

Well I agree, in theory! Sounds great, but it’s pretty hard to be virtuous and hungry, or your kids are hungry, or whatever… It’s not a simple thing, and I don’t blame the soldiers, I blame the RICH MEN who cause wars… always for profit, always. Taking jobs by bringing in MACHINES, who don’t need days off, vacations, decent wages, food, school for their kids, etc etc etc… Work is good, but it should be Good Work, not a mind/soul suck until you die.

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Mazirian's avatar

I blame both. People always have a choice, and enforcing tyranny and killing innocents will damn you. ‘Just following orders’ isn’t good enough.

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The Word Herder's avatar

By the way, are you aware that there are plans to kill a whole shitload of us with cell phones, and even without them, using 5G weaponry that can just zap you and take you out and make it look like a... disease? Think about that. No soldiers needed.

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The Word Herder's avatar

I didn't say I support WAR CRIMES. If you're going to blanket an entire category of work as "bad," then conversation is pointless. Everything has a context. Taking things out of their context is not helpful to understanding the world. By your logic, then, because THIS COP shoots and kills a kid, ALL cops are bad.

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Diana van Eyk's avatar

We're in such a dangerous time. Israel ignoring the rulings of these international courts, the USA and its allies defending Israel, the genocide continues and NATO keeps on with its antics against Russia and Taiwan, and who knows what else.

The west follows no rules and is indignant when the ICC and the ICJ demand that the genocide in Gaza stops.

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idosuiteB's avatar

The Ruling Class is classist.

Not Democractic.

Limiting access, is an extremist role.

Privilege, does not value, immoral values, and degrading hegemony....is war like.

Self Ruling Class is a possible outcome....when considering next cultural belonging.

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The Word Herder's avatar

I for one, do not feel any need to be "governed."

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idosuiteB's avatar

How to paradox, relevance on need basis of consumption?

Identifies, players and actors. The Self- Rulling Class, is illegitimately participating. Limiting outsourced materials and including resources.

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Jim Ritchie's avatar

How often are we told, if you're doing nothing wrong you've nothing to be afraid of, the law is there to protect you etc, etc but threaten the powerful with legal scrutiny and they deny it applies to them. If you think you are in the right Mr Netanyahu stand up in court, unless you know the truth, you are guilty!

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Debbie Beatty's avatar

With plenty of help from EU and Canada.

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Ro's avatar

Such unbelievable stuff we are finding out. Mossad threatening the family of judges. El Chapo was more circumspect.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/article/2024/may/28/spying-hacking-intimidation-israel-war-icc-exposed

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Pseudonymph's avatar

Hamas is an asset for precisely this reason. Pretext to “mow the lawn” until it’s safe enough to build back better on Gazan ashes.

Disgusting.

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A.P. Murphy's avatar

"So we find ourselves on the edge of a new world order, a new international system where the interests of the U.S. do not dominate. We’re not quite there, but the insistence on protecting Israel from any consequences for its genocidal actions is accelerating the arrival of that day."

I seriously cannot wait. I don't know what the new multipolar world will be like, whether it will be more or less stable than the present American hegemony. But it could not be any more hypocritical and rotten than the existing NWO.

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Erica Paul's avatar

What an informative essay! Thank you for the details.

And thanks for expanding on"rule of law".

I have heard several speakers from ICC, and South Africa. Their knowledge and delivery is outstanding.

Not everyone in Israel likes Netanyahu: the youth want

him to step down. And there is an increasing number

soldiers who refuse to kill Palestinians.

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Josh Mathews's avatar

Alas, Israel has a reel knack for playing the victim. They'll probably when an Oscar for it.

https://generalgrievance.substack.com/p/how-zionist-bullies-victim-wash-their?r=z5j1k

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Roy Brander's avatar

The "International Law on the brink of Collapse" occurred back in February, 2003, when the USA asked the UN Security Council for legal permission to invade Iraq. This had been obtained for the 1991 Gulf War, so 35 UN member states participated in the legal "UN police action" to push Iraq back out of Kuwait.

The permission was not given, and the US and UK invaded anyway, unlawfully, because they are nuclear states and nobody can physically force them to stop, as the US forced Iraq to stop in 1991. Let me stress, the Americans in question are all criminals under American law, too, because the UN Charter is what forbids the use of force against member states (article II, para 4); the UN charter is a *treaty* which was signed and ratified; and treaty provisions are the "law of the land" under the Constitution, (Article VI, para 2.). They are simply not indicted.

It is only in America that Iraq War leaders are never spoken of as war criminals. In the UK, it's controversial, but the charge does appear in UK newspapers, and Tony Blair is spoken of as a "war criminal" in print.

I'm afraid that it's only because the idea is completely outside the "Overton Window" of permissible discussion in the USA, that you can possibly say that now, 21 years later, is the point where "international order is on the brink". It's all over.

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Mazirian's avatar

The Australians also defied that order and I believe the Poles?

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Steven Judd's avatar

Had their condemnation of Hamas leadership happened on 10/8 their condemnation of Israel today would bear more weight.

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