THERE are a number of positions the US has taken the past fortnight in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict that alienated the Global South from the US and will change the way the Global South (GS) sees US leadership in the world for a long time to come. At a time of unprecedented challenge to US domination of the global order by China, BRICS and a changing Third World, the US position on the conflict will most definitely weaken US control of global affairs and there may never be a recovery.

At a time when the US has failed to garner the support of very valuable, powerful countries (China, Brazil, India, South Africa, the African continent) in condemnation of Russia, the fallout from the American frenetic embrace of Israel despite war crimes in Gaza will do untold harm to American credibility in the GS.
It is no exaggeration to say that the US has agreed to sacrifice its standing in the world to protect the country it feels is philosophically and religiously closer to it than any other strategic partner, including Canada and the UK. This diminished credibility will have serious consequences for international relations because the world, maybe except the European Union, will not rush to condemn America’s adversaries if those adversaries undertake unilateral action in international politics.

If the conflict spreads in the Middle East with Israel being attacked on different fronts and the US gets engaged in military combat, it is naïve for any citizen on Planet Earth to think the world will be concerned if China moves against Taiwan and Russia devastates Ukraine. No amount of American aid and diplomacy will move the GS to show an interest in Taiwan and Ukraine.

The US condemnation of China and Russia if the US is involved in another Middle East War will fall on deaf ears in the GS. The question is whether the US will take into consideration this change to the global order and refrain from military action against Iran, Lebanon, and Syria. My belief is that the US is willing to accept Chinese action against Taiwan and deeper Russian destruction in the Ukraine in order to protect Israel.
But let’s assume there is no war and the conflict in Gaza fades away in a few weeks, US standing in the world will still take a beating because the US will be unable to muster support in the GS for interventions by countries the US considers its enemies. Nations in the GS will point to American double standards. Three decisions by the US in the present conflict in the Middle East will dent American credibility.

One is the supersonic rush by Biden to blame Hamas for the bombing of the hospital in Gaza even before evidence to that effect could be made available. World leaders know that by planting the seeds of doubt, it creates uncertainty in the International Criminal Court in deciding to issue an arrest warrant for Netanyahu. You don’t bomb a hospital and kill over 500 people and not face war crime charges.

Biden saved Netanyahu again when he succeeded in arranging humanitarian aid to Gaza. It is a war crime to cut off water, electricity and food to civilians in battle because even in war there are certain international rules that the combatants must observe or face war crimes. Thirdly, the US vetoed a UN resolution calling for Israel to allow humanitarian pathways into the Gaza Strip, a cessation of engagements and the lifting of an order for civilians to leave the north of the besieged territory.

These are actions that will hurt American chances of rallying support against future invasions like the one the world is seeing in Ukraine. Just use your imagination and think what will happen at the UN if the US was to introduce a resolution either in the General Assembly or the Security Council condemning Russia for unspeakable atrocities In Ukraine.
Wednesday editorial of the British Guardian made an interesting point when discussing how the Gaza situation has dampened international support for Ukraine. It quoted the EU Commission President, Ursula van der Leyen’s passionate denunciation of Russia bombing civilian infrastructure in Ukraine. The paper observed that van der Layen’s silence on the identical destructive madness of Israel in Gaza will not help the cause of Ukraine.

I believe the attitude of the US and the EU over the near genocide in Gaza will be exploited to the maximum by Russia. If the Israelis persist in destroying Gaza, when it is over, Israel will still exist. But while the Israeli action in Gaza goes on, by the time it ends, there may be no Ukraine and no one would have noticed when it was killed off.