The World’s Worst Bully: How Your Government Fails Humanity

How the Colonial Brutality of USA-Backed Oppression Fuels Death and Devastation in Palestine and Lebanon

As the Middle East is engulfed in a humanitarian catastrophe, the world watches on, with America’s role in the devastation hard to ignore. Over 41,500 Palestinians have lost their lives since last October, and 1.9 million have been displaced as airstrikes and blockades turn Gaza into an unrecognisable ruin. In Lebanon, similar fates befall families as they flee collapsing buildings and seek safety amid infrastructure annihilated by indiscriminate bombardment. But the question persists: where is America’s responsibility? In moments that call for humanity and accountability, the United States opts for selective outrage, reinforcing its position of dominance rather than empathy.

The Human Toll: Lives Shattered Beyond American Borders

For those directly impacted, each statistic represents a life cut short, a family torn apart, a community shattered. In Gaza, the humanitarian toll is nothing short of catastrophic. Since Israel’s bombardments began anew last year, Gaza has transformed into a dystopian landscape. Nearly two million people, almost 90% of Gaza’s population, are now displaced, struggling daily for basic necessities. These aren’t faceless numbers. Each figure is a family forced from their homes, children robbed of their futures, and the elderly left to die in a war they have no control over.
 
In Lebanon, a similar crisis unfolds. Human Rights Watch reported that white phosphorus munitions, banned for use in civilian areas, have rained down on towns and villages, incinerating infrastructure critical to survival. Hundreds dead, thousands injured, and entire towns abandoned as people flee indiscriminate violence. This isn’t collateral damage; it’s a deliberate choice to disregard the value of human life.
 
One of the deadliest days in recent memory occurred in Lebanon on September 23, when 558 civilians were killed. But this story doesn’t trend in US media, nor does it spur the outcry it deserves, because the people suffering don’t align with the narrow worldview fostered by an American system that elevates its own interests above genuine humanitarian concern. This disregard reflects a profound moral failing and raises the question: what values does America truly stand for?
 
The absence of any broad awareness is not an accident. For decades, American media has given minimal coverage to the devastation outside of Western borders, leading to a general apathy toward the humanitarian crises it fuels. America’s education system, meanwhile, amplifies this disconnect by centring USA achievements, never confronting students with the international costs. The resulting worldview among Americans keeps the suffering of Palestinians, Lebanese, and others as footnotes.

People stand among the ruins of destroyed buildings in Gaza, surrounded by concrete debris and damaged residential structures. The photograph illustrates the devastation inflicted on Palestinian communities. Photo by Mohammed Ibrahim on Unsplash.

America’s Role in Fuelling Conflict: A New Brand of Hypocrisy

For decades, the United States has positioned itself as the world’s moral compass, the so-called defender of democracy and human rights. Yet, in practice, this rhetoric serves as little more than a convenient cover for political alliances that contradict these very ideals. America’s allegiance to Israel is unwavering, even as Israel carries out attacks that human rights organisations classify as potential war crimes. This isn’t about defence; it’s about a mutually beneficial partnership that comes at the expense of thousands of Palestinian and Lebanese lives.

As America continues to back Israel unconditionally, the impact on the international community is undeniable. Even those who once looked to the US for leadership and justice now question its credibility. For many in the Middle East, Africa, and even Latin America, US foreign policy has become synonymous with hypocrisy. A nation that touts freedom and democracy continues to provide billions in aid to a country accused of systemic oppression and war crimes. The US is increasingly perceived not as a liberator but as an enabler of violence.

Justice and Fairness: Hollow Ideals and Double Standards

When global entities like the United Nations call for ceasefires and protective measures for civilians, one might expect a country like the US to lead those efforts. But America’s stance remains disturbingly selective. What it deems a humanitarian crisis in one region is overlooked or justified in another, revealing a deep-rooted double standard in how the US interprets and applies justice.

Humanitarian organisations, including Amnesty International, have issued urgent calls to protect civilians in Gaza and Lebanon, advocating for international intervention to prevent further loss of life. However, such pleas are routinely dismissed in US policy making circles, where strategic alliances often outweigh humanitarian considerations. To America, it seems some lives are simply worth more than others, an unspoken hierarchy where only select crises merit intervention.

This selective outrage does more than tarnish America’s reputation — it fuels anger and resentment across the globe. As people witness the suffering of civilians in Gaza and Lebanon, juxtaposed with US support for the very forces responsible, they see the American commitment to human rights for what it is: an illusion, invoked only when politically convenient.

A protest sign quotes Juliette Touma, UNRWA Director of Communications, describing how aid workers in Gaza bring their children to work so that, if killed, they die together. Photo by Brett Wharton on Unsplash.

Global Disillusionment: A Rejection of American Exceptionalism

The notion of American exceptionalism is facing unprecedented scrutiny. Many around the world are rejecting the idea that the US is a beacon of freedom and democracy. From Palestine to Lebanon, America’s actions reveal a pattern of disregard for lives deemed expendable. Those impacted by these policies are not nameless, faceless others, they are people who bleed, grieve, and suffer under the weight of geopolitical games played by powers far removed from their reality.
 
America’s political allies may still offer diplomatic platitudes, but among global citizens, the perception is shifting. The people of Gaza and Lebanon know all too well that American intervention often brings destruction rather than peace. Each act of support for an oppressive regime, each dollar spent on military aid to perpetuate violence, deepens this disillusionment. To them, the “land of the free” is nothing more than a hollow phrase, an empty promise overshadowed by the bloodshed it enables.

A Call for True Change: Ending the Cycle of Oppression

The ongoing violence in Palestine and Lebanon is symptomatic of a larger, more disturbing trend. America’s influence is no longer seen as a force for good; it is seen as a threat to genuine peace and security. The international community must reckon with the reality that unchecked power, whether in the form of military aid or political backing, contributes directly to the suffering of millions.
 
If the US wishes to reclaim any semblance of moral authority, it must confront its own role in perpetuating cycles of violence. The time has come to shift from a policy of selective justice to one that values all lives equally. This isn’t about abandoning alliances but redefining them. It’s about recognising that real leadership demands accountability, empathy, and a commitment to humanity that transcends political gain.
 
True change is necessary; it is not optional. Without it, America’s influence will continue to erode, not through outside opposition but through its own actions. The world has outgrown the narrative of American superiority. Nations are forging alliances based on mutual respect, not dominance. If the US fails to adapt, it risks becoming an isolated relic of a bygone era, clinging to an outdated sense of exceptionalism while the world moves forward.

America’s Responsibility Beyond Borders: A Global Legacy of Destruction

A severely damaged multistorey building surrounded by collapsed concrete, exposed reinforcement, and debris in Gaza, illustrating the destruction of Palestinian residential infrastructure. Photo by Emad El Byed on Unsplash.

To the international community, America’s actions in Palestine and Lebanon are part of a longstanding, brutal pattern of violence justified under the guise of “freedom” and “democracy”; they are far from isolated missteps. For Americans, this destruction might feel distant, but for millions worldwide, it is an unavoidable, harsh reality fuelled by US dollars and policies. Every missile, every devastated home, every life lost is a direct result of American complicity in imperialism.

Israel, supported staunchly by American resources and political muscle, serves as an outpost of white supremacy in the heart of the Middle East. It systematically enforces policies that elevate the status of certain ethnic groups while oppressing others, operating as a Western stronghold in a region where it imposes foreign ideals and brutal control. The world sees through the hypocrisy of US claims to be a force for good. America’s so-called “values” mean nothing when its policies support and sustain a state that embodies the same racial dominance it claims to condemn domestically.

America’s selective morality only serves its own interests, trampling human lives abroad without a second thought. It is not a defender of justice but a power-hungry enabler of suffering. The time for excuses is over. If Americans cannot hold their government accountable, they must accept that the world now views the US not as a beacon of hope but as a symbol of unchecked, merciless imperialism.

Conclusion

The suffering in Palestine and Lebanon is not isolated; it’s part of a broader pattern that demands a reexamination of American values and influence. The world is at a crossroads, and America must decide whether it will continue to perpetuate cycles of violence or embrace a new ethic based on respect, empathy, and shared humanity.
 
As we remember those who have lost their lives, let us not forget the lessons they leave behind. Every civilian casualty, every family displaced, serves as a testament to the urgent need for change. Together, we can strive for a world where peace is not an ideal but a reality, where justice is accessible to all, and where the value of human life transcends political gain.

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Author’s note – 17 October 2026

Originally published on Medium. Moving it here for archival purposes and as a refusal to be associated with a platform that is complicit in genocide.

*This was written in 2024; apologies for my self-restraint. Genocide isn’t a “pressing issue” and talking about US/Western imperialism should only be done with unbridled contempt.

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