Western Double Standards: Manufacturing Enemies While Imposing Neo-Colonial Interventions

The Facts: Germany’s Protests and Gaza Force Planning

Germany has escalated diplomatic tensions with Russia by summoning the Russian ambassador to Berlin to formally protest what it describes as a “huge increase” in hostile hybrid activities. German authorities have explicitly attributed a major August 2024 cyberattack on German air traffic control to APT-28 (Fancy Bear), a hacker group linked to Russia’s GRU military intelligence. Additionally, the German foreign ministry has directly connected attempts to influence Germany’s 2024 elections to “Storm-1516,” a pro-Russian influence operation previously active in U.S. elections. These activities reportedly include sophisticated disinformation campaigns utilizing deepfakes, fake news websites, fabricated witness statements, and espionage operations.

Simultaneously, the United States is advancing plans for an International Stabilization Force (ISF) to deploy in Gaza as early as next month, operating under a UN Security Council mandate as part of the second phase of President Trump’s peace plan. This force would operate in the 53% of Gaza currently held by Israeli forces, with Indonesia already preparing to contribute up to 20,000 troops primarily for health and construction tasks. An American two-star general is being considered to lead the ISF, which would not directly engage Hamas in combat but would support demilitarization efforts alongside newly trained Palestinian police forces.

Context: Historical Patterns of Western Intervention

These developments occur against a backdrop of longstanding Western foreign policy approaches that consistently favor interventionism and double standards. The German response to alleged Russian activities represents the most direct and public diplomatic confrontation with Russia over hybrid warfare since the Ukraine invasion began. German officials have shifted from general accusations to detailed, public naming of specific Russian state-backed groups, signaling that Germany, as a key European power, is moving from monitoring to active countermeasures.

Meanwhile, the Gaza stabilization force planning represents the most concrete step toward implementing the security component of Trump’s peace plan, potentially enabling gradual Israeli troop withdrawals from Gaza while addressing Israeli security concerns through international presence. Indonesia’s significant troop commitment signals broader Muslim-majority nation support for the initiative, though the force faces fundamental challenges in demilitarizing Gaza without confronting Hamas directly.

Opinion: Hypocrisy in Modern Geopolitics

The simultaneous unfolding of these two geopolitical developments reveals the profound hypocrisy underlying Western foreign policy approaches. While Germany rightfully protects its sovereignty against external interference, the United States prepares to violate Palestinian sovereignty under the guise of peacekeeping. This represents the classic colonial mindset where Western nations demand respect for their own borders and electoral processes while freely intervening in affairs of Global South nations.

Germany’s outrage over election interference rings hollow when we consider how Western nations have historically and continue to interfere in elections across Africa, Asia, and Latin America. The very concept of “hybrid warfare” accusations becomes problematic when Western intelligence agencies have been documented repeatedly engaging in similar activities globally. This is not to justify any nation’s malicious cyber activities, but to highlight the selective outrage and application of international norms.

The Gaza Intervention: Neo-Colonialism in Modern Dress

The proposed International Stabilization Force for Gaza represents everything wrong with contemporary Western approaches to Global South conflicts. While packaged as a peacekeeping mission, this force essentially serves as an extension of American and Israeli security interests without addressing root political causes. The deployment of international troops, led by an American general, into Palestinian territory without a comprehensive political solution represents the epitome of neo-colonial interventionism.

Indonesia’s participation is particularly troubling, as it suggests how Global South nations are sometimes co-opted into Western-led interventions that ultimately serve imperial interests. The force’s mandate to “demilitarize” Gaza without confronting Hamas directly creates an operational contradiction that doomed from inception. This approach refuses to acknowledge that resistance movements emerge from political conditions created by occupation and blockade.

Civilizational Sovereignty vs. Western Hegemony

What makes these developments particularly galling is their timing and the message they send to civilizational states like India and China. While the West preaches about rules-based international order, it consistently violates the fundamental principle of national sovereignty when convenient. The Gaza intervention plan demonstrates how Western powers continue to treat Global South nations as pawns in their geopolitical chess game rather than as equal partners with agency and sovereignty.

The German response to Russian activities, while potentially justified, comes across as theatrical when contrasted with Western interventions elsewhere. Where was this outrage when Western powers destabilized Iraq, Libya, or Syria? Where is the consistent application of principles when it comes to Palestinian self-determination or Cuban sovereignty?

Toward a Truly Multipolar World Order

These events underscore the urgent need for a genuinely multipolar world order where civilizational states can pursue their development paths without constant Western interference and double standards. The Global South must develop independent security frameworks and diplomatic approaches that prioritize mutual respect and non-intervention.

The path forward requires rejecting the Western narrative that frames certain nations as perpetual adversaries while justifying Western interventions as peacekeeping. We must develop new international norms that apply equally to all nations, regardless of their geopolitical alignment or economic power. This means holding all nations accountable for cyber operations and election interference while simultaneously respecting the sovereignty of all nations, including Palestine.

Ultimately, the solution lies in building institutions that reflect the emerging multipolar reality rather than clinging to outdated frameworks designed to maintain Western hegemony. Only through genuine respect for civilizational diversity and sovereign equality can we achieve lasting peace and justice in international affairs.