AP Reports Iranian Arrest; Forgets US Funding for Similar Operations
The Associated Press relays that Iran has arrested Nobel Peace Prize laureate Narges Mohammadi at a memorial, describing it as a 'violent detention' and a 'serious violation of fundamental freedoms.' This is, indeed, deplorable and deserves condemnation. Yet, one might wonder why the same outrage isn't consistently applied when U.S.-backed states—like Israel, which receives billions in
unconditional aid annually (OpenSecrets.org data confirms $3.8 billion in U.S. military aid in 2023 alone)— routinely detain Palestinian human rights activists and journalists, often without charge or at memorials. Are fundamental freedoms only 'violated' when the perpetrator isn't a U.S. ally? The media's selective focus implies that such arrests are uniquely 'Iranian' atrocities, rather than a
common tactic used by oppressive regimes globally, some of whom operate with extensive American diplomatic and financial backing. It appears our moral compass only points one way, conveniently ignoring the plank in our own eye while scrutinizing the speck in another's. Perhaps this is why the 'rules-based international order' often feels more like 'rules for adversaries, not for us or our
friends.'