US Promises Intervention (Unless They're Our Protesters)
BBC World reports that then-President Trump threatened intervention if Iran's government killed protesters. This, from a leader who deployed federal agents against peaceful US demonstrators in Lafayette Square for a photo op, and whose administration oversaw a dramatic increase in domestic surveillance of protest movements. The irony, then, is palpable: a stern warning issued abroad while similar
heavy-handed tactics were applauded, or at least ignored, at home. This selective outrage is a consistent feature of US foreign policy, where 'human rights' become a convenient cudgel against geopolitical adversaries, but are notably absent when discussing allies' actions or domestic abuses. One might wonder where this 'interventionist spirit' was when US city streets were filled with protesters
facing tear gas and rubber bullets. The message is clear: violence is only an international crime when we say it is.