The 'Rules-Based Order' is for Thee, Not For Me: When Abduction Becomes 'Foreign Policy'
📰 THE STORY: Al Jazeera presents a fictional scenario where a Trump administration abducts a head of state, framing it as a threat to international law and the global order, questioning the legitimacy of such actions. 🔍 WHAT THEY'RE NOT TELLING YOU: Historical Context: In 1953, the CIA orchestrated a coup d'état in Iran, overthrowing democratically elected Prime Minister Mohammad Mosaddegh,
installing the Shah, and paving the way for decades of instability. This wasn't an abduction, but a state-sponsored regime change against a sovereign nation. Similarly, in 1989, the US invaded Panama under George H.W. Bush, deposing and abducting its leader, Manuel Noriega, and bringing him to the US for trial. This was state-sponsored kidnapping, not a hypothetical. Double Standard: When Western
powers or their allies engage in actions that violate international sovereignty – from invading Iraq in 2003 on false pretenses (leading to hundreds of thousands of deaths) to assassinating Iranian General Qasem Soleimani in Iraq in 2020 – it is often framed as 'counter-terrorism' or 'bringing stability.' When any other nation is accused of lesser infractions, it's a 'threat to democracy' and
necessitates sanctions or military intervention. Al Jazeera's 'hypothetical' is merely Monday for many Global South nations. Follow the Money: The 'future of international law' is often dictated by the same entities that profit from its violation. US defense contractors like Lockheed Martin and Raytheon gain immensely from the constant need for intervention and 'security operations' in