LESSONS OF THE HUBRIS OF THE COLONIAL POWERS

The recent humiliation of Germany before the voting nations in the United Nations—failing, merely to be a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council—has been called, by Schiller Institute Founder Helga Zepp-LaRouche, an opportunity for Germany and the other former colonial “powers” to redeem themselves with the Global South nations. Of course Germany initially refused to react that way, its leaders preferring to blame Russia, or a similar “great power” excuse.

But history is history, and now that the end of five centuries of imperial colonization is coming in sight of the Global South, they will blame, correctly, only Germany itself. To quote Zepp-LaRouche’s statement on the matter:

“The de facto unconditional support for Israel’s actions in Gaza—for which the International Criminal Court has issued arrest warrants against Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant—has damaged Germany’s reputation, and this damage will continue to grow as long as the governments in Berlin maintain their position.

For, while the crimes of the Nazis only became fully known and understood by the general public after the end of World War II, Israel’s crimes in Gaza—and increasingly also in the West Bank and Lebanon—are in the spotlight of the global public. The fact that Germany did not approve the extension of the mandate for the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) in December 2025 under pressure from Israel, and has cracked down brutally on pro-Palestinian protests domestically, has further tarnished Germany’s image.”

Now it is America’s turn, to suffer international opprobrium as a follower—especially given President Trump’s constant bluster—of Israel’s Netanyahu government’s drive to conquer or control all of Southwest Asia, killing tens and tens of thousands of civilian victims in the process.

A June 4 hearing of the House Armed Services Committee saw Rep. Ro Khanna (D-CA) introduce and motivate his amendment nullifying Section 224 of the National Defense Appropriations Act (NDAA). That Section 224, if passed, will fuse together the military-industrial complexes of the United States and Israel, into a single war preparation machine—industrial planning, spending, testing, funding military start-ups and cyber/lethal technologies.

The most recent Pew Research poll found that 60% of Americans polled disapprove of Israel’s actions in Southwest Asia, and just 37% approve of them.

Representative Khanna said, “Everyone in America, whether it’s Republicans, Democrats, or Independents, wants to tell Netanyahu … that they want less cooperation and blank checks to Israel, not more. Only the United States Congress could dream up, ‘Let’s actually do more for Israel, not less’. And [more] is what Section 224 does!”

Khanna pointed out, to arrogant deniers on the Committee, that Netanyahu had personally proposed the new strategy, in a letter to a member of Congress, Rep. Marlin Stutzman of Illinois.

Even President Trump is reported by White House sources to have warned Netanyahu, in a telephone argument a few days ago, “What the f—k are you doing? Everybody hates you!”

However, at least a dozen Members of the Committee, Republicans and Democrats, requested time to insist that Congress must do exactly what the American people clearly hate—what makes most Americans more and more aghast at the Mideast slaughter; Congress must oppose the expressed view of the American people and support a foreign country’s leader, even sometimes in opposition to the American President as well!

Committee Chair Mike Rogers (R-OH) led off, simply claiming, “Israel is America’s strongest ally. Section 224 advances American national security.” (Therefore, Americans’ views on this do not count.)

Democrat Adam Smith (D-WA) followed, by lying, “First of all, this is not a new framework.” (Section 224 is as clearly a new framework as any Act in all of Congress, claiming to replace 60 years of U.S. military aid, with a straight merger of U.S. and Israeli military research, development and spending.)

Then, ten Members, in rapid succession, strongly endorsed Section 224, ignoring Americans’ views. They were typified by Rep. Charles Wilson (R-SC) who proclaimed, “Above all, let it be known: This is beneficial to the American people, and beneficial to Israel.”

And so, Khanna’s amendment was voted down—The American people be damned on their 250th Anniversary.

Now the U.S. Congress will face worldwide ridicule, including from the Arab Sheikdoms, who find their bad bet on American security shattering along with U.S. bases. And President Trump was reported on the phone last evening with Netanyahu, who bombed Beirut again, trying again to convince the mad Israeli President to ….

And thus, another opportunity opens, to reject the hubris of a bygone imperialism in favor of peace through development.