Empire vs. Democracy Today: The Crisis of Gaza

New Empires: the United States and Israel

Empires gradually disappeared after World War II, as 140 nations gained independence from their colonial status. Yet there were two campaigns to build empires. Israel, from its independence in 1948, built an empire by conquering and expelling Palestinians and taking other Arab lands. And the United States, from the time of Ronald Reagan in 1981, reaffirmed its empire of old with a nuclear build-up, wars in numerous countries, and a close alliance with Israel, espousing the dream of “Western civilization.” Both Israel and the U.S. have had strong democratic traditions, favorable to decolonization, but unable to gain a majority.

The objectives of Israeli and U.S. leaders, especially since 2000, have united in a strategy of corporate–military dominance of the Middle East, with the U.S. also seeking dominance worldwide. The U.S. steadily withdrew from United Nations participation, except to veto resolutions in the Security Council. For its part, Israel remained active in the UN mainly to contest charges that it oppressed Palestinians.

With the presidency of George W. Bush, the allied empires each took stronger steps, asserting their primacy in the world: the U.S. with invasions of Iraq and Afghanistan after the 9/11 attacks in New York and Washington; Israel with expanded repression of the revolt in Gaza.

The U.S.–Israeli alliance reinforces inequality in political and social terms, diverting tax dollars to clandestine attacks and endless propaganda. The U.S. neglects environmental reform, while Israel is accused of “environmental apartheid” in its treatment of Palestinians.

Still, it is not impossible that democratic and anti-empire forces might gain control in the U.S. and in Israel.

Global Democracy and Its Strategy

The movement for global democracy aims at decolonization and national-level equality: freedom of each nation and rights for all within nations. The long UN campaign for majority government in South Africa succeeded by 1992; the long campaign for Palestinian nationhood has yet to succeed, although Palestine has been recognized by 138 nations.

Within the United Nations, national representatives build broad consensus and concern for national and global welfare, including a widely shared desire for environmental reform. They favor an end to the veto power by which the U.S. and four other powers may halt Security Council action by veto. There are nations with ambitions for great power that ally with Global Democracy: China, Russia, Turkiye, France and sometimes India.

Outside of the UN, the movement for Global Democracy has included efforts to support equality through worldwide demonstrations, such as those in Tiananmen, South and West Africa, and Eastern Europe. Truth and Reconciliation commissions sought to resolve conflicts in numerous countries. Global popular culture, including sports, led to wide sharing of traditions. Worldwide demonstrations opposed the 2003 invasion of Iraq and, later, in 2020, celebrated the memory of George Floyd and called for an end to discrimination. Especially powerful is the opposition to genocide—most recently the genocide case against Israel.

Corporate-Military Strategy

Estimates confirm that the U.S. has increased its military grants to Israel by over $20 billion per year since October 2023. Meanwhile, the U.S. maintains bases and fleets throughout the world. This includes an Africa Command, created in 2007, which makes periodic attacks in Africa and West Asia and maintains clandestine programs to undermine institutions of Arab or other enemies.

Israel has assassinated Palestinian leaders since the colonial period—a policy that was formally announced as it expanded in 2000. Since 2002, the U.S. has carried out a smaller number of similar assassinations, especially in Pakistan and the Middle East, but also in Africa. Beyond these targeted killings, Israel’s settlement of occupied Palestine has laid the groundwork for annexation of the West Bank. And Israeli propaganda related to this effort ranges from fabricated attacks on the UNRWA, to political contributions ensuring that U.S. legislators support Israeli policies, to rewriting history that labels critics of Israel’s empire as “antisemitic.”

Further, Israeli nuclear missile production since 1980 has led to a stockpile of well over 100 missiles, mainly aimed at Tehran.

History’s Lessons: Imperial Conquests vs. World Wars

Napoleon Bonaparte came to power as the most successful general of revolutionary France in the 1790s, then built an empire with dreams of world domination. He succeeded for a decade, but his strategy failed in 1814 because too many other leaders and the general population of Europe opposed him. Thereafter, national rulers tried to expand their empires by conquering one area at a time, often succeeding.

Britain and France built huge empires, while Germany, Japan, and the U.S. became world powers. But in two big cases, war got out of control. In World War I, war among big powers cost so much that the empires of Germany, Austria, the Ottomans, and Russia collapsed—and 15 of their colonies gained independence. Again in World War II, the limited wars led by Germany, Japan, and Italy expanded worldwide. After the war, even the victorious empires had to give up most of their colonies – but not Palestine. (Israel gained independence from Britain in 1948 but Britain and Israel denied independence to Palestine.)

Israel’s present war—to destroy Palestine and to dominate the Middle East—may well escape control and become a world war. Will global democracy be able to intervene and prevent such escalation?

The Struggle Today

In January of 2025, a ceasefire enabled many thousand residents of Gaza to return to the remains of their homes. Hostages were exchanged and the UN relief organization (UNRWA) distributed food and supplies. But just months later, Israel refused to implement stage two of the ceasefire, expelled the UNRWA, and halted all distribution of food and supplies in Gaza. Israel resumed Gaza bombings on March 18, killing a reported 5,500 in the next two months.

As Palestinians starved, Israel and the U.S. created a Gaza Humanitarian Organization, a private firm which on May 26 first gave out small amounts of food to persons classified as anti-Hamas. On June 1, the Freedom Flotilla sent the vessel Madleen (under a UK flag) with food and medical supplies from Sicily toward Gaza; the crew of 12 included activist Greta Thunberg. On June 9, Israeli military vessels seized the vessel and crew. Similarly, a Global March to Gaza, scheduled for June 15-17, was intended to pass through Cairo and reach Gaza, but Egyptian security forces halted and dispersed the group.

On June 12, the UN General Assembly (UNGA) adopted a new resolution for a ceasefire in Gaza, supported by 149 of 193 members, with only 12 in opposition. (This was just before a planned New York meeting on Gaza, at which France and Saudi Arabia sought to encourage several more nations to recognize Palestine diplomatically. )

On June 13, Israel launched large-scale attacks on Iranian nuclear plants and on Tehran, assassinating scientists and generals. The June 13 date was significant: It shook the agenda of the G7 meeting opening that day in Italy; it halted media attention on the Madleen and the Global March; it was Israel’s response to the UNGA resolution; and it led to “postponement” of the June 17–20 New York meeting. Most importantly, though, bombing Iran halted U.S.-Iranian talks on nuclear peace, which had proceeded since April. Donald Trump was suddenly pressed to support Israel in its bombing of Iran, though this was a violation of his long-stated position against U.S. wars overseas.

Tomorrow: Democracy or World War?

The U.S. and Israel are now seriously isolated. G7 members and European nations have been bailing out of Israel’s wars because of rising domestic opposition. BRICS nations (except India) oppose the Israeli attacks. Popular movements in Latin American, African, and Asian nations are pressing their governments to take stronger positions against Israel. While American public opinion opposes attacks on Gaza and Iran, America’s governmental support for Israel has only grown. On June 22, the U.S. joined Israel’s bombing campaign against Iran, as President Trump—no doubt facing pressure from Netanyahu to act quickly—launched strikes against Iranian nuclear centers at Natanz, Fordow, and Isfahan.

In attacking Iran, Trump forgot about Gaza: the complex tie of national oppression through genocide with great-power struggles leaves many openings for sudden change. In fact, the real opposition to the U.S. and Israel comes not from defense of Iran but from opposition to genocide and support for the independence of Palestine. Such opposition is evident throughout the world—in public demonstrations, as well as through official bodies like the UN, the G7, and the World Court.

I believe that the U.S. and Israel will ultimately yield to the national independence of Palestine—and peace with Iran—whether through democratic change or a world war. Either way, the full records of killings in Gaza will eventually force both would-be empires, increasingly pariahs, to seek readmission to the world community. This will require not only accepting the judgment of the World Court on genocide, but fully accepting—and embracing—the broader principles of global democracy.