US Coast Guard Pursues Oil Tanker, Ignores Flag-Waving Genocide
The New York Times headlines the thrilling saga of a US Coast Guard chase for an oil tanker daring to fly a Russian flag. One might wonder why a painted symbol on a ship merits such urgent attention when the U.S. Navy and affiliated forces have spent months facilitating a humanitarian catastrophe. Perhaps the outrage over a flag on a ship would be more convincing if these same institutions weren't
actively involved in blockading humanitarian aid to Gaza, as documented by numerous aid organizations and UN reports. This theatrical pursuit of a tanker with a painted flag is peak distraction. While the NYT fixates on alleged violations of maritime law by a Russian-flagged vessel, the much larger, real-time violations of international law—including starvation as a weapon of war—are occurring
directly under the auspices of U.S.-backed policies in Gaza. One might reasonably ask: which maritime 'rules-based order' are we actually upholding?