Israel’s war in Lebanon is another example of the criminal impunity of a rogue, terrorist state

Israel’s actions have destabilized Lebanon, Syria, Palestine, and Iraq. They have inflamed regional tensions, fuelled extremism, and undermined diplomatic efforts.  

By Fareed Khan
A version of this article can be found on Substack.

While the genocide in Gaza continues unabated Israeli leaders have now expanded their war crimes regime to Lebanon, where the 2026 invasion is not an aberration, not a sudden eruption of violence, and certainly not a defensive reflex. It is the latest chapter in a decades‑long pattern of criminal impunity—an extension of the same tactics, doctrines, and policies that have devastated Gaza. What is unfolding today in southern Lebanon is not merely a “spillover” from Gaza or a confrontation with Hezbollah. It is the exportation of the Gaza model of military aggression—the systematic destruction, mass displacement, territorial engineering, and steady normalization of Israel’s annexationist ambitions that have animated its leaders’ strategic thinking for decades.

Since the beginning of the Israeli invasion Lebanese authorities have reported more than 4,300 killed and over 12,000 wounded, with over one million displaced—roughly one‑fifth of the country forced from their homes. Israel has conducted thousands of airstrikes, bulldozed entire villages, bombed the suburbs of Beirut, and expanded operations far beyond its self‑declared “Yellow Line,” pushing up to ten kilometers into Lebanese territory. These are not temporary incursions, and this has been confirmed by the Israeli newspaper Haaretz in conversations with Israeli soldiers. They are in effect the creation of “facts on the ground,” the same methodical approach Israel has used for decades in the West Bank to transform an illegal occupation into a permanent presence.

The Gaza model exported

Israel’s military leaders have openly described their Lebanon campaign as a replication of tactics used in the Gaza genocide. Defence Minister Israel Katz referenced the “Rafah and Beit Hanoun model,” promising to demolish homes, flatten neighborhoods, and prevent civilian returns until Israel’s objectives are met. Soldiers have told reporters they are “operating exactly as we do in Gaza,” with daily destruction quotas and target lists.

Satellite imagery confirms the scale of devastation. Villages such as Bint Jbeil, Ayta al‑Shaab, and Khiam have been razed through controlled demolitions and bulldozing of buildings, mirroring Gaza’s obliterated districts. Additionally, Israel has struck civilian infrastructure—bridges over the Litani River, water facilities near the Qaraoun Dam, hospitals, schools, mosques, and farmland—all considered war crimes under international law. Furthermore, reported use of white phosphorus against civilian targets—already documented extensively in Gaza—have emerged again in Lebanon.  Another instance of Israel committing a war crime.

These actions are neither counterterrorism nor acts of self-defence. They are collective punishment, ethnic cleansing, and territorial reconfiguration intended to support long-term occupation. It is the Gaza doctrine applied against a sovereign state.

A historical pattern of territorial ambition

While Israel’s defenders insist that these operations are purely defensive, aimed at neutralizing Hezbollah, the scale, the systematic razing of villages, the infrastructure destruction, and the establishment of a de facto occupied buffer zone suggest something far more ambitious, demographic engineering with the intent of effectively annexing territory.

This ambition is not new. Israel invaded Lebanon in 1978, again in 1982, and occupied southern Lebanon until 2000. It launched a massive war in 2006, destroying swaths of the country. Each time, Israeli leaders spoke of “security zones,” “buffer areas,” and “temporary measures.” Each time, those measures hardened into long‑term territorial claims.

These actions align with a broader ideological project often referred to as “Greater Israel”— a maximalist vision proposed by Zionism’s founder Theodor Herzl, rooted in biblical nationalism and embraced by elements of Israel’s political and religious right. This project imagines Israeli control stretching from the Nile to the Euphrates, and from Turkey to northern Saudi Arabia. While not official state policy, its influence is unmistakable in settlement expansion, annexation rhetoric, and repeated military incursions into neighboring states.

Lebanon, characterized by political fragmentation, deep economic crisis, a weak military and the overwhelming impact of incessant and highly destructive attacks by Israel, is uniquely vulnerable to such ambitions. Israel’s current operations—creating cleared zones, establishing military outposts, and preventing civilians from returning to their homes and properties—mirror the early stages of territorial absorption seen in the West Bank. The logic is clear. Israel weakens the state, depopulates strategic areas, and normalizes Israeli presence, all in violation of international law.

Crimes under international law

The Fourth Geneva Convention prohibits collective punishment, the destruction of civilian property and infrastructure, and the forcible transfer of populations—precisely the kinds of actions Israel has carried out in Lebanon. The Rome Statute defines war crimes as intentional attacks on civilians and civilian objects, and crimes against humanity as widespread or systematic assaults on civilian populations. Israel’s conduct in Lebanon falls squarely within these prohibitions.

The mass displacement of over one million people, the razing of villages, the destruction of essential infrastructure, and the establishment of a de facto occupation zone constitute grave breaches of international law. Additionally, UN experts and human rights organizations have warned of ethnic cleansing and potential crimes against humanity.  These warnings echo those issued during Israel’s Gaza campaign, where the International Court of Justice found a “plausible risk of genocide” and ordered provisional measures to prevent further atrocities. Enabled by its Western allies, the US in particular, Israel ignored them.

US backing fuels Israeli impunity

Israel’s ability to commit these crimes repeatedly—and expand them into new theaters—rests on one foundation: unconditional US support.

The United States provides billions in military aid annually, vetoes UN resolutions calling for ceasefires or accountability, and shields Israel from sanctions or international prosecution. This support persists regardless of the severity of Israeli crimes. It persisted through the flattening of Gaza, the mass murder of tens of thousands of Palestinians, and the destruction of hospitals, schools, and refugee camps, and it now continues with Israeli crimes in Lebanon.

The contrast with Western responses to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is staggering. Russia’s aggression triggered sweeping sanctions, diplomatic isolation, ICC arrest warrants, and massive military support for Ukraine. Israel’s aggression in Gaza triggered statements of “concern” and “alarm” followed by expedited weapons shipments. This double standard is not merely hypocrisy—it is blatant complicity. Under international law, states that knowingly provide material support enabling war crimes share responsibility for those crimes.

Israel as the region’s most destabilizing force

Israel’s defenders claim that as the only “democracy” in the Middle-East it is a stabilizing force in a volatile region. However, decades of evidence suggests the opposite.

Israel has launched major wars or invasions against Lebanon (1978, 1982, 1996, 2006, 2026), Gaza (2008-09, 2012, 2014, 2021, 2023–26), and repeatedly escalated tensions with Syria and Iran. It maintains an apartheid system in the West Bank, enforces a siege on Gaza, and conducts regular strikes across the region.  No other Middle Eastern state has initiated as many cross‑border conflicts, displaced as many civilians, or destroyed as much infrastructure in neighboring countries. No other state has repeatedly violated international law with such impunity, and yet the world has done nothing to stop them.

Israel’s actions have destabilized Lebanon, Syria, Palestine, and Iraq. They have inflamed regional tensions, fuelled extremism, and undermined diplomatic efforts. And because Israel can influence US military policy—through lobbying, intelligence partnerships, and political pressure—it can and has dragged the world’s most powerful military into regional escalations.

A state that repeatedly violates international law, destabilizes its neighbors, and wields disproportionate influence over US foreign policy is not merely a regional threat. It is a potential threat to world peace.

The biker gang analogy

If a biker gang rolled into a town, torched buildings, murdered residents, and declared parts of the territory off‑limits, the full weight of law enforcement would descend. No appeals to “self‑defence” against adversaries would excuse systematic destruction.

Yet when Israel does the same—flattening villages, displacing millions, occupying foreign soil—the international response has been muted, and there has been no effort to hold its leaders accountable. This selective enforcement of law reveals the moral bankruptcy of the so‑called international “rules‑based order” which Western nations so often invoke against their adversaries

Israel’s war in Lebanon is not an isolated conflict. It is part of a decades‑long pattern of aggression, territorial ambition, and criminal impunity. Without accountability—through sanctions, arms embargoes, ICC prosecutions, and diplomatic pressure—the cycle is bound to continue.

The world cannot remain passive in the face of Israeli exceptionalism. The credibility of international law, the stability of the Middle East, and even the prospects for global peace depend on ending this impunity and holding Israel’s leaders fully accountable.

© 2026 The View From Here. © 2026 Fareed Khan. All Rights Reserved.   

Israeli acts of piracy and torture against Canadian Sumud flotilla activists require a meaningful response by PM Mark Carney

The Canadian government has already condemned Israeli actions. But words without actions that have meaningful consequences risks becoming complicity.

By Fareed Khan 
A version of this can be found on Substack.

The illegal interception of the Global Sumud humanitarian aid flotilla to Gaza by Israeli forces in international waters south of Cyprus in mid-May 2026 is not an isolated “incident.” It is the latest expression of a decades-long pattern in which Israel uses overwhelming military power, systematic and deliberate abuse, and flagrant disregard for international law to punish Palestinians and those who stand with them in their struggle for freedom from Israeli occupation and oppression.  It is an act of piracy and terrorism that requires action by the nations of the people who were abducted and tortured while in Israeli custody.

While the flotilla activists have now been released and are on their way home they are not returning unharmed. After being given medical examinations upon being deported to Turkiye—the starting point of the flotilla—they reported being subjected to severe abuse and torture in Israeli custody, including documented evidence of physical violence—beatings, use of tasers, sexual assault, torture—psychological torment, and degrading treatment that constitute clear violations of international humanitarian law.

This brutality against unarmed humanitarian workers is yet another criminal act in Israel’s decades-long campaign of state terror—alongside its genocide in Gaza, the routine torture of Palestinian and international detainees, and its entrenched system of brutal domination against those who oppose them. Such conduct is more evidence marking Israel as a rogue, criminal state that uses terrorist violence and impunity against civilians and aid workers alike.

In these circumstances, Canada (along with other nations) has both a moral and legal obligation to respond with concrete measures, including broad sanctions, arms restrictions, and accountability mechanisms targeting the Israeli leaders criminally responsible for these actions.

Piracy and terrorism at sea

The Global Sumud flotilla set sail with approximately 50 boats and more than 400 activists from over 40 countries, carrying food, baby formula, and medical supplies to a besieged Gaza Strip facing catastrophic deprivation and famine. The vessels were intercepted hundreds of kilometres from Israel’s coast, in clearly international waters, as multiple reports and UN experts have emphasized.

According to Turkiye’s Anadolu Agency and other news outlets, Israeli forces attacked the flotilla volunteers with rubber bullets and boarded the ships, detaining around 428 activists and transporting them to Israeli ports and prison facilities. Amnesty International described the interception as “shameful and inhumane,” stressing that the flotilla was attempting to break an illegal Israeli blockade and deliver life‑saving aid to a population in Gaza subjected to mass atrocity crimes, apartheid and genocide.

Under the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), the forcible seizure of civilian vessels in international waters, absent a lawful basis such as piracy suppression or UN Security Council authorization, is widely viewed by legal experts as a flagrant violation of the freedom of navigation. The UN experts’ statement on the Global Sumud flotilla explicitly called the interception “a blatant violation of international law, including the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea,” and demanded the immediate release of the activists.

When a state uses armed force on the high seas to abduct civilians engaged in a humanitarian aid mission, many scholars argue that this conduct is the very definition of state piracy and state terrorism.

This is not the first time Israel has done this and it won’t be the last given how Israel’s leaders see their nation as above the law. The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) case study on the 2010 Mavi Marmara flotilla notes that Israeli forces killed nine activists in international waters while enforcing the Gaza blockade, raising serious questions under international humanitarian law and the law of the sea. The Global Sumud operation thus fits a long‑standing pattern. Israel uses its navy to project coercive power and unwarranted aggression far beyond its territorial waters to prevent humanitarian aid from reaching Gaza, and to send a message of deterrence through fear and terrorist violence.

Torture, sexual violence, and humiliation in Israeli custody

The testimonies emerging from the 2026 flotilla participants are harrowing and remarkably consistent. Reports by news media noted that activists were subjected to “humiliation and violence,” including forcing women to remove their hijabs, keeping detainees in painful positions, shooting them with rubber bullets, beatings and other forms of torture. One news report recounts how New Zealand activist Mousa Taher was stripped naked, bound with zip ties so tight he cried out in pain, stomped on, beaten unconscious, and forced to crawl on the ground “to make us feel like we are nothing.” 

Newsweek quotes Australian activist Juliet Lamont describing a boat where 180 people were “systematically bashed and beaten” resulting in 40 with broken bones and ribs, people being “tasered in the face,” and multiple incidents of sexual assault. Al Jazeera, NBC and other major news outlets all report that flotilla organizers documented at least 15 cases of sexual assault, including rape, humiliating strip searches, groping, pulling of genitals, and even “forcible penetration by a handgun” on a converted prison vessel lined with barbed wire and shipping containers.

Associated Press and NBC‑syndicated reports describe activists being punched, kicked, dragged by their hair, held in containers, shackled with iron chains, and surrounded by attack dogs. Canadian activist Ehab Lotayef from Montreal told CBC he was beaten for days, had his ribs injured, glasses broken, and his hand stabbed by a guard while trying to distribute water to other detainees. 

Israel’s prison service has denied all allegations, calling them “false and entirely without factual basis.” Yet the convergence of testimonies—from Canadian, Turkish, Italian, Brazilian, Australian, French, and other activists, documented by rights groups like Israel’s Adalah and scrutinized by prosecutors in Italy and elsewhere—strongly suggests systematic abuse and torture rather than isolated misconduct. UN officials have called these accounts “disturbing” and insisted that those responsible must be held to account. 

These practices mirror long‑documented patterns of torture and ill‑treatment of Palestinian prisoners—stress positions, beatings, sleep deprivation, sexual humiliation, denial of medical care, and abuse of minors. Human rights organizations have for years concluded that such treatment violates the Convention against Torture and the Geneva Conventions’ protections for detainees. The flotilla activists, in effect, were briefly exposed to the perverse justice regime that Palestinians have endured on a chronic basis for decades. 

Decades of occupation, apartheid, and Gaza’s strangulation 

To understand why many now describe Israel as a rogue state that uses terror as an instrument of policy, the flotilla must be placed in the broader context of Israel’s rule over Palestinians since 1967. 

In July 2024, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) issued an advisory opinion concluding that Israel’s prolonged occupation of the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and Gaza was unlawful, and that its Jews only settlements violate Article 49(6) of the Fourth Geneva Convention, which prohibits an occupying power from transferring its civilian population into occupied territory. The Court emphasized that Israel’s policies breach Palestinians’ right to self‑determination and require third states not to recognize or assist the illegal situation. 

Human Rights Watch’s 2021 report “A Threshold Crossed” found that Israeli authorities are committing crimes against humanity, apartheid and persecution, through systematic discrimination, land confiscation, movement restrictions, and fragmentation of Palestinian territory. Amnesty International has similarly concluded that Israel’s settlement project and legal regime amount to apartheid, and that the settlements themselves are illegal under international law. 

Gaza, under a land, air, and sea blockade since 2007, has been described by the ICRC and UN bodies as being subjected to collective punishment, prohibited by Article 33 of the Fourth Geneva Convention. The blockade severely restricts movement of people and goods, crippling the economy and health system (which is now destroyed during the genocide). The UN Fact‑Finding Mission on the 2008–2009 Gaza conflict (the Goldstone Mission) documented attacks on civilians, homes, schools, hospitals, and UN facilities, concluding that serious violations of international humanitarian law and possible war crimes had been committed. Subsequent operations—2012, 2014, 2021, and the post‑October 2023 assault—have repeated the same patterns of disproportionate force and targeting of Palestinian civilians and civilian infrastructure. 

In the current phase, the ICJ, in the case brought by South Africa, has found that there is a plausible risk that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza and has ordered provisional measures requiring Israel to prevent genocidal acts and enable humanitarian aid—all of which Israel has ignored. The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights has warned that Israel’s assault on the foundations of international law “must have consequences,” stressing that starvation of civilians as a method of warfare is unlawful. The International Criminal Court (ICC) Prosecutor has opened a file on the “Situation in Palestine,” investigating alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity by all parties, and has sought arrest warrants for senior Israeli and Palestinian leaders. 

Taken together, Israel’s decades-long list of crimes—unlawful occupation, apartheid, collective punishment, repeated large‑scale attacks on civilians, and now a case of genocide—this record depicts a state whose leaders systematically violate core norms of humanity and the international order and rely on impunity guaranteed by powerful allies like the US. The violent attack on participants in the Global Sumud flotilla is a microcosm of that larger system.

Israel as a rogue state using state terror

“Rogue state” is not a formal legal category, but it captures a political reality—a state that persistently defies international law, disregards UN resolutions and court decisions, and uses violence against civilians to achieve political ends.

When a state:
*  Maintains an unlawful occupation and apartheid regime despite ICJ and UN findings;
*  Enforces an illegal blockade that starves and impoverishes a civilian population;
*  Conducts military campaigns that UN bodies and respected human rights voices say amount to war crimes and genocide;
*  Intercepts humanitarian flotillas in international waters, abducts hundreds of civilians, and subjects them to torture and sexual violence;

it is reasonable for advocates, scholars, and affected communities to argue that such a state is acting as a rogue actor and employing terrorism as a weapon. The purpose of the flotilla abuses was not military necessity, but rather to terrorize activists and deter future attempts to break the blockade. As one activist put it, this felt like a “planned campaign of violence” designed to ensure they never return.

This is why many Palestinians and their allies describe Israel not merely as a state committing isolated violations of international law, but as a rogue, terrorist state whose policies are structurally violent. Whether one adopts that terminology or not, the legal and moral implications for third states like Canada are profound.

Canada’s legal and moral obligations

Canada is not a neutral bystander in all of this. It is a party to the Geneva Conventions, the Genocide Convention, the Rome Statute of the ICC, and UNCLOS. It has domestic legislation—the Crimes Against Humanity and War Crimes Act—that incorporates international crimes into Canadian law and allows for prosecution on the basis of universal jurisdiction. 

The Canadian government has already put out statements condemning the flotilla abuses. Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand condemned the “appalling abuse” of Canadians and summoned the Israeli ambassador after videos showed Israeli cabinet minister Itamar Ben‑Gvir taunting kneeling, zip‑tied activists. Prime Minister Mark Carney called the treatment “abominable.” But condemnation without actions that have meaningful consequences in response to Israeli crimes risks becoming complicity. 

Given the evidence and the findings of international bodies, a strong case can be made that Canada has at the least the following obligations:

Implement targeted sanctions on Israeli political and military leadership:
Under its Magnitsky sanctions legislation and in light of declarations by Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, B’Tselem, the United Nations, the International Association of Genocide Scholars, and the ICJ’s findings on the illegality of the occupation and the plausible risk of genocide, Canada can and arguably must impose asset freezes and travel bans on all senior Israeli political and military officials responsible for the crimes committed against Palestinians, the Gaza blockade, large‑scale military assaults against civilians, and the flotilla interdictions.

Criminal investigations and universal jurisdiction:
Canada’s Crimes Against Humanity and War Crimes Act grants it universal jurisdiction to investigate and prosecute individuals present on its soil for war crimes, crimes against humanity, or genocide—regardless of where those acts occurred. Given the scale of alleged violations in Gaza and the flotilla incidents, Canada has both the legal authority and the moral responsibility to open investigations into any Israeli officials or soldiers within its territory when credible evidence links them to such crimes. A bolder step—such as automatically detaining anyone who has served in the Israeli military since 2023, including Canadian citizens—would send a clear signal that Canada is serious about enforcing its own laws and upholding international humanitarian standards.

Closing loopholes for arms and dual‑use exports:
Canada has obligations under the Arms Trade Treaty and customary international law not to transfer weapons where there is a clear risk they will be used to commit serious violations of international humanitarian or human rights law. In light of ICJ and UN findings, and declarations respected human rights organizations, continuing any form of arms or dual‑use exports that could support Israeli military operations in Gaza or enforcement of the blockade is increasingly difficult to reconcile with those obligations. Closing loopholes and imposing a full embargo on military exports and technology transfers to Israel would be a concrete step toward compliance.

Diplomatic measures: expulsion and recall of ambassadors:
Expelling the Israeli ambassador and recalling Canada’s ambassador from Tel Aviv would signal that the relationship cannot proceed as normal while Israel defies the ICJ, the ICC, and UN bodies, and while Canadian citizens are tortured and sexually assaulted in Israeli custody. Such measures have precedent in responses to other states accused of atrocity crimes (like Iran). 

Support for international accountability mechanisms:
Canada should fully support the ICC’s Palestine investigation, refrain from political pressure on the Court, and actively cooperate with any arrest warrants issued, including against Israeli officials. It should also back UN mechanisms documenting violations in Gaza and the flotilla incidents, and endorse the ICJ’s advisory opinion and genocide case orders, as well as join South Africa’s genocide case at the ICJ which now has 20 nations supporting it, including NATO members Belgium, Iceland, Netherlands, Spain and Turkiye, as well as trading partners Mexico and Ireland. 

These steps are not radical. They flow from Canada’s own treaty commitments and its self-professed support for a rules‑based international order. To continue business as usual with a state credibly accused of apartheid, war crimes, and genocide, and now documented torture and sexual abuse of Canadian and international activists, would be to erode those very rules.

From outrage to responsibility 

The Global Sumud flotilla was a simple proposition. Civilians from around the world sailing to deliver food and medicine to a population deliberately starved and bombed. Israel’s response—armed interception in international waters, mass abduction, beatings, torture, and sexual violence—lays bare the nature of its regime and the depth of its depravity.

Whether one chooses the language of “rogue terrorist state” or prefers strictly legal terminology, the core reality is the same. Israel has, for decades, violated fundamental norms of international law with near impunity, and the flotilla abuses are part of that pattern. For Canada, the question is no longer what is happening, but what it is prepared to do about it, especially after more than two and a half years of genocide in Gaza where a conservatively estimated 200,000 Palestinians may have been killed by Israel as of April 2026, according to international medical specialists, Israeli academics, and others. 

Silence and symbolic statements will not protect Palestinians, nor will they protect Canadians and others who risk their lives to bring them live saving aid. Sanctions, arms restrictions, criminal investigations, and diplomatic downgrades are the minimum steps consistent with Canada’s legal obligations and moral claims. Anything less is a choice to live with atrocity—and to be remembered as being on the side of those who watched and did nothing to hold Israel accountable for its criminal actions.

© 2026 The View From Here. © 2026 Fareed Khan. All Rights Reserved.

FOR LEADERS WITHOUT SOULS

By Fareed Khan 
A version of this can be found on Substack.

When injustice becomes law
resistance becomes a duty we draw
leaders who stand with the Israeli oppressor’s might
have shown their souls cloaked in darkest night.

When cruelty becomes normal and vile
compassion becomes radical, worth the while
national leaders who ally without shame
ignoring genocide, they play the devil’s game.

After more than two and a half years of Israel’s hell
in Gaza where innocents were murdered and fell
politicians refuse to criticize or break
their bond with Israel, for their own sake.

They remain its ally, steadfast they stand
refusing to condemn with blood on their hands
they’ve shown the world who has sold their soul
for a devil’s bargain, which they don’t control.

Gaza’s horrors still unfold, yet they look away
from the massacres that have darkened every day
their hearts are empty, their consciences sold
to embrace inhumanity, corruption and gold.

The evil in Gaza, they wilfully ignore
the cries of Palestinian kids dying, and the murderers’ roar
standing firmly with their Israeli ally they are proud
no souls within them, they are just a devil’s crowd.

These people are not horrified by these evil deeds
more than two and a half years later as Gaza still bleeds
for those with souls it is most horrifying to see
our so-called leaders complicit in genocidal atrocities.

They’ve shown the world who lacks a soul’s light
who has traded it all for the blackness of Lucifer’s night
for favours, alliances and trade they bend their knees
to a regime committing horrific evil, with complete impunity.

In halls of power our leaders are clear
they side with the devil’s acolytes, shedding no tears
the world now knows those who sold their souls
while deceit and injustice still take their deadly toll.

Yet some global leaders with moral compasses strong
have condemned Israel to the depths where they belong
they label its leaders as criminals to be convicted
who must burn in hell, and that assertion is not conflicted.

With righteous anger they raise their voices
against the Gaza genocide, making the choices
to stand for justice, for Palestinian rights
in the face of darkness and evil they bring the light.

These brave souls label the guilty ones clear
criminals who deserve to rot in eternal fear
to be condemned for the evil of their heinous crimes
while those who seek justice, advocating for better times.

© 2026 The View From Here. © 2026 Fareed Khan. All Rights Reserved.

PITY THE NATION

By Fareed Khan 
A version of this can be found on Substack.

The world must unite against the menace of Donald Trump

Trump is a deranged force, and it is time for people in the United States, Canada, Europe, and across the globe to recognize the clear and present threat he poses... 

By Fareed Khan 
A version of this article can be found on Substack.

In an era where the fragility of democracy is laid bare, one figure stands as a stark emblem of peril—not just to the United States, but to the entire world. Donald Trump, a man whose every action and utterance reeks of malice, sociopathy, callousness, ignorance and racism, embodies a global threat that demands immediate and unified opposition. This is not hyperbole. It is a sober assessment of a leader who commits treason against his own nation with his every breath and action. His corruption surpasses that of any previous U.S. president, his self-serving nature knows no bounds, and his moral bankruptcy is matched only by his profound ignorance.

More alarmingly, Trump poses a danger eclipsing even Adolf Hitler, armed as he is with control over the world’s most potent nuclear arsenal, a military far superior to that of any other nation, and imperial ambitions that could ignite global catastrophe. He is a deranged force, an orange-tinged blight, and it is time for people in the United States, Canada, Europe, and across the globe to recognize the clear and present threat he poses, and rally together to stop him.

Trump’s pathology is evident in his relentless pursuit of power, a hunger that corrupts everything it touches. He revels in symbols of dominance, from skyscrapers emblazoned with his name, to his attempts to imprint his name on institutions that once stood for higher ideals. Consider his brazen move to associate his brand with the Kennedy Centre, a venue honouring John F. Kennedy—a president who symbolized hope and progress. This act alone sullies a legacy of American aspiration, replacing it with the crass commercialism of a man who views the presidency as an extension of his real estate empire, and a way to enrich himself.

But this is merely the surface. Beneath lies a deep-seated racism that seeks to purify the nation in his image, favouring those who are white while unleashing the forces of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) on anyone who doesn’t fit his narrow racist vision of what an American should be. Under his influence, ICE operates like a modern Gestapo, targeting racialized immigrants, enforcing policies that tear families apart, and instilling fear in immigrant communities. Tragic cases, such as the alleged executions of figures like Alex Pretti and Renee Good, highlight how this agency has become a fascist cancer within American society, eroding the very principles of justice and basic humanity.

This racism is not isolated. It permeates Trump’s entire worldview, turning policy into a tool of exclusion and violence. He wags the tail of the nation like a dog, using lies upon lies to distract from his true agenda, which is fleecing the US treasury and the world through coercive tactics. His threats to take oil from Venezuela exemplify this, treating the natural wealth of sovereign nations as resources to be plundered for the benefit of the US. Tariffs imposed on trading partners worldwide serve as economic weapons, punishing allies and adversaries alike in a bid to assert global dominance. Trump is like a blood-sucking leech, draining vitality from American society and international relations. Even more disturbing are the personal horrors attributed to him—allegations of predatory behaviour towards vulnerable individuals, including young girls, which underscores a reprehensibility that shocks the conscience.

His supporters, donning their red MAGA hats sit idly by applauding as laws and constitutional rights are trampled to advance their fascist agenda. For them, loyalty to the man overrides fidelity to the republic, creating a cult-like atmosphere where accountability evaporates, not unlike how Germans viewed Hitler in his rise to power.

The danger escalates when we examine Trump’s foreign policy ambitions, which read like a blueprint for imperial conquest. He has openly mused about annexing Greenland, dismissing Denmark’s sovereignty as an inconvenience. His sabre-rattling toward Iran threatens to plunge the Middle East into further chaos, potentially sparking a conflict that could draw in global powers. Regime change in Cuba is another fixation, echoing Cold War aggressions but with modern military might. Perhaps most audaciously, he has joked—or perhaps not—about annexing Canada, treating a peaceful neighbour and ally as territory ripe for seizure. The Panama Canal, a symbol of international cooperation, is similarly in his sights, with vows to reclaim control through whatever means necessary. Trump has made clear that he will deploy any force he deems suitable to achieve his foreign policy goals, whether economic pressure, military intervention, or outright invasion. These are not idle threats. They stem from a mindset that views the world as a zero-sum game, where America’s gain requires the subjugation of others.

Compounding this external menace is Trump’s systematic dismantling of domestic institutions. He has shut down or severely cut back funding for critical agencies, fired top government and military officials—seasoned experts with decades of experience—replacing them with unqualified MAGA acolytes whose primary qualification is unwavering loyalty to him. This purge echoes the authoritarian playbook, where competence is sacrificed for sycophancy. Intelligence chiefs, generals, and senior officials with careers in the government who dared question his whims were ousted, leaving voids filled by ideologues ill-equipped to handle complex crises. The result is a government hollowed out, more prone to blunders that could have worldwide repercussions. Imagine a nuclear decision made not by strategic minds but by yes-men eager to please a volatile leader. This internal rot amplifies the global risk, as a weakened U.S. apparatus becomes a source of instability rather than stability.

To grasp the full scope of the threat, we must draw historical parallels, painful as they are. The last time a man of such malignant character seized control of a powerful nation, it led to World War Two—a conflagration that claimed over 70 million lives and left swaths of Europe and the Far East in ruins. Hitler, too, was underestimated at first, dismissed as a bombastic figure with fringe appeal. Yet his racism, desire for territorial expansion, cult of personality, and goal to “Deutschland wieder groß machen” (Make Germany great again), ignited a horror that reshaped the world. Trump, while not identical, shares eerie similarities--the demonization of minorities, the deconstruction of important government institutions, the erosion of democratic norms, and the pursuit of expanding American territory.

But unlike Hitler, Trump commands a nuclear arsenal capable of ending civilization in minutes, the most powerful military in the world with unparalleled reach, and social media platforms with well over 150 millions followers collectively. His ambitions to invade and occupy other nations could trigger the fracture of decades old alliances, collapse economies, and escalate conflicts into military exchanges that could go nuclear. The people of the United States are bearing the immediate brunt—through eroded rights, economic uncertainty, and social division—but the ripple effects threaten people around the world. Canadians face the spectre of annexation, Europeans the fallout from transatlantic rifts, and nations worldwide the chaos of disrupted trade, fractured supply lines, and heightened militarism.

This is why unity to confront the Trump threat is not optional, it is imperative. People in the U.S. must mobilize through votes, protests, and civic engagement to reclaim their democracy. Congress and the Senate hold the power to check this deranged lunatic—through investigations, impeachments, or legislative barriers—but they have too often faltered, cowed by fear and partisan pressures. Beyond America’s borders, Canada should fortify its sovereignty by pushing back against any encroachment with diplomatic resolve, international alliances, and increased investments in its military. Europeans, drawing from their own history of resisting tyranny, must strengthen NATO and economic ties with nations outside Europe to counter Trump.

Around the world—from Asia to Africa to Latin America—leaders and citizens alike should condemn his aggressions, forming coalitions to isolate his regime economically and politically. International bodies like the United Nations must amplify voices against his threats, while civil society groups coordinate global campaigns to expose his corruption, and push narratives that demonstrate how dangerous he really is.

In the US and overseas there are likely many who are praying for the Trump nightmare to end quickly. But prayer alone is insufficient, what is needed is decisive action. Americans, Canadians and Europeans cannot wait for the blight that is Donald Trump to consume more ground. Trump’s hold on power must be broken, not through violence, but through the collective will of free peoples. Educators should teach the lessons of history to prevent its repetition, journalists must speak truth to power without fear, and everyday citizens must not only engage in dialogue that bridges divides, but also be unafraid to speak out against fascist narratives. In the U.S., this means supporting civil society groups and independent institutions demanding accountability from elected officials. Internationally, it involves solidarity pacts that protect vulnerable nations from his predations.

Yet, the path forward demands nuance. While Trump’s flaws are glaring, the opposition must avoid descending into the same sort of divisiveness he fosters. Unity against him should be rooted in shared values—democracy, human rights, and international cooperation—rather than mere antagonism. By focusing on these principles, we can build a post-Trump era that is more resilient and just. The alternative is unthinkable--a slide toward authoritarianism that could dwarf the devastations of the 1930s and 1940s.

Ultimately Donald Trump represents an existential threat that transcends borders. His sociopathy, megalomania, racism, and fascist impulses endanger not only Americans but the global order. This is a man who can fairly be described as truly sick, a force of extortion and horror that must be stopped. The world has faced such dangers before, and emerged bruised and battered but stronger through unity. Now, as in the shadow of World War Two, we must rise together—Americans, Canadians, Europeans, and all global citizens—to ensure that this orange faced lunatic does not drag us into abyss. The time for action is now. Delay invites disaster. For the sake of our shared humanity and the future of our planet let us commit to this cause, and not repeat the mistakes that allowed a madman in the 1930s to set the world ablaze.

© 2026 The View From Here. © 2026 Fareed Khan. All Rights Reserved.

In the face of the ongoing Gaza Genocide we cannot break or be silent

We cannot allow ourselves to be numbed into despair, exhausted into silence, or lied to until the last Palestinian child has been murdered by a terrorist, genocidal regime.

 

By Fareed Khan 
A version of this article can be found on Substack.

To every person of conscience, to every soul still capable of outrage and hope—we have watched horrors unfold that history will never forgive. Since October 2023, Gaza has been subjected to a relentless campaign of annihilation. The numbers are staggering and merciless—tens of thousands murdered outright by the Israeli military, hundreds of thousands more dead from starvation, disease, and the deliberate destruction of every means of sustaining life. The bombs dropped on this tiny strip of land have exceeded—by more than six times—the destructive force of the Hiroshima atomic bomb.

The most documented genocide in history

What Israel is doing is not war. This is genocide as confirmed by the International Association of Genocide Scholars, the United Nations, Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, B’Tselem, respected Jewish Holocaust scholars, and various international medical organizations.

This crime of crimes has been carried out with weapons and political cover supplied by the United States, Britain, Germany, France, Canada, and other nations which still dare to speak of upholding “international law” and “human rights” but do nothing uphold the ideals behind those terms. And the genocide continues—even now—despite every ceasefire announcement, every diplomatic phrase, every claim of restraint.

In all of this we see clearly who Israeli leader Benjamin Netanyahu is—a man who has turned the attack of October 7 into a license for the permanent conquest and erasure of the Palestinian people. He speaks of “peace” while ordering extermination. He speaks of “security” while directing the systematic destruction of an entire people’s future—its homes, its hospitals, its schools, its history, its children, its future. Every lie he utters, every racist edict, every mass grave he creates, stains not only his name but the moral credibility of the state he leads carrying out these crimes in the name of the Jewish people.

Netanyahu’s actions will stain Jewish communities around the world for generations. When a state commits atrocities while claiming to act on behalf of an entire people, the world too often answers with the oldest and most dangerous reflex—collective blame. We have seen this movie before, and we must refuse to let it be written again.

The Palestinian people are not collateral damage, they are the target. Their only crime is existing. Their only demand is to live free on the land their ancestors tended for centuries—free from military occupation, free from apartheid walls, free from settler violence, free from the daily humiliation of having their very existence debated as a security threat.

In the face of all this we cannot allow ourselves to be numbed into despair. We cannot allow ourselves to be exhausted into silence. We cannot allow ourselves to be lied to until the last Palestinian child’s voice is extinguished.

The day of reckoning for the criminal perpetrators of the Gaza genocide is inevitable. Those who ordered, enabled, financed, and excused this genocide will one day face justice, the judgment of history and of humanity. And that day arrives faster when ordinary people refuse to look away and be complicit through their silence.

As human beings witnessing horrors we will never forget, we demand—loudly, unapologetically, and without compromise—that our governments:

• Use all political, diplomatic and military means at their disposal to stop Israel’s genocidal crimes; 
• Open all of Gaza’s borders to allow humanitarian aid into the enclave;
• Immediately and unconditionally call for the release of the thousands of Palestinians held in Israeli detention without charge or trial;
• Support the suspension and expulsion of Israel from the United Nations and all international institutions until it complies with international law;
• Impose a full military, economic, and trade embargo on Israel;
• Issue arrest warrants for all of Israel’s political and military leaders involved in implementing genocidal policies;
• Expel the Israeli ambassador and recall our own from Tel Aviv;
• Publicly and definitively reject the very flawed IHRA definition of antisemitism;
• Uphold and defend the rights of Palestinians to freedom of expression, freedom of the press, and freedom of assembly;
• Require the full withdrawal of Israeli forces from all occupied Palestinian territories;
• Pursue accountability through international courts and under the concept of universal jurisdiction for every individual and every individual and institution responsible for crimes against humanity, and genocide in Gaza.

This is not a list of distant ideals. These are the minimum conditions of justice. Anything less is continued partnership in a crime against humanity.

The eyes of the world are watching those who have power to act. The future of an entire people—and the soul of the so-called “rules-based international order”—now depends on whether our leaders choose cowardice and political expediency or courage.

Do not wait for the perfect moment. Do not wait until the last house in Gaza is rubble and the last Palestinian child has been silenced.

It is our duty as beings who claim to be human to rise up, speak out, organize, disrupt, and demand until there is justice, safety and freedom for Palestinians.

We cannot bend or break. We cannot forget, and we will not forgive complicity.

Free Palestine—from the river to the sea—and from the river to the sea, justice will prevail.

© 2026 The View From Here. © 2026 Fareed Khan. All Rights Reserved.

The unrestrained madness of Donald Trump is a threat to global peace and stability

Trump’s actions will have long-lasting negative repercussions geopolitically and economically, destabilizing the global order. . .From the wreckage Trump is making we must rebuild a global order rooted in moral authority. 

 
By Fareed Khan 
A version of this article can be found on Substack.

In the streets of our imagination, picture a deranged man wielding a knife, darting erratically through crowds, shouting threats, slashing at bystanders, and occasionally delivering a fatal blow. The authorities—police chiefs, community leaders, politicians—wring their hands, complain loudly about the chaos, but then do nothing to intervene. They watch as the violent rampage escalates, the man emboldened by their inaction to ratchet up his violent assaults.

This is not a scene from a horror film but rather an apt metaphor for Donald Trump’s presidency since he returned to the Oval Office in January 2025. Trump, the man who once boasted he could shoot someone on New York City’s Fifth Avenue without losing support, now acts with impunity, “murdering” the norms of democracy at home and abroad. He unleashes policies that harm all Americans, Venezuelans in Caracas, Cubans, and others across the Caribbean and Latin America. He is unconstrained neither by domestic laws, congressional oversight from a compliant Republican majority, nor by judicial checks from a Supreme Court conservative majority, or international law that he treats as toothless. As he told a New York Times reporter, “The only thing that can stop me is my own morality. My own mind.” This self-proclaimed and extremely flawed moral compass guides a domestic (and foreign) policy of aggression, one where armed agents of ICE, border security, and homeland security intimidate or worse, target racialized immigrants, anti-genocide demonstrators, and perceived political opponents.

Since his return to office everyone, including many political opponents, have given wide berth to this unconstrained madman, fearing his ire will be directed at them. As has been amply demonstrated over the past year, Trump’s power to silence and extort extends to powerful media organizations, universities, major law firms, prominent cultural institutions, Wall Street, corporations, and foreign nations. Yet, as Robert Reich, Labor Secretary during the Clinton era, noted in a prescient piece, an unconstrained madman who reveals his danger also galvanizes resistance. The more Trump’s violence is out in the open, the larger the push back, both domestically and internationally. Peaceful protests against his policies are spreading, and traditional allies are banding together against him. But in this second term, the rampage feels more unhinged, more lethal, because the safeguards that once existed are gone.

During Trump’s first administration, there were “adults in the room”—figures like James Mattis, John Kelly, and Rex Tillerson—who, despite their flaws, provided some restraint on his megalomania and impulsive insanity. These establishment Republicans and military veterans acted as guardrails, tempering his worst instincts on issues like withdrawing from NATO or erratic foreign military adventures. They weren’t perfect because they enabled much of his agenda, but they prevented total catastrophe. Mattis, for instance, reportedly convinced Trump against torturing detainees or assassinating foreign leaders outright. Kelly managed the chaos in the White House, imposing order where there was none. Even critics who mocked the “adults in the room” narrative now admit, in hindsight, that their presence mitigated damage. As one analyst put it, they were the moderating influence that kept the toddler-president from burning down the house.

In stark contrast, Trump’s second administration is devoid of such figures. He has surrounded himself with butt-kissers, boot-lickers, and MAGA acolytes who worship at the altar of his personality cult. These are not independent thinkers but enablers, echoing his every whim without question. Figures like Stephen Miller, Trump’s deputy chief of staff who proclaimed in an interview on CNN that the world is governed by strength, force, and power—the “iron laws” since time immemorial—embody this sycophantic ethos. Miller’s nativist bigotry now drives policy unchecked. The cabinet is filled with loyalists who prioritize Trump’s ego over expertise, people who are election deniers, conspiracy theorists, and opportunists who see his power as their opportunity. This inner circle is no different from the sycophants who surrounded Adolf Hitler as he launched his campaign to “Make Germany Great Again.” Hitler’s enablers—Goebbels, Himmler, Göring—flattered his delusions, amplified his hatreds, and executed his madness without moral qualms. Similarly, Trump’s team nods along as he shreds alliances, threatens invasions, and dismantles institutions, all in service to his cult of personality.

At this juncture in history, Trump poses a danger to the world comparable to Hitler in the 1930s. While not identical—Trump hasn’t orchestrated genocide (yet)— the parallels in their authoritarian playbooks are chilling. Both rose amid economic discontent, scapegoating minorities and “elites.” Both promised national revival through strength and exclusion. Hitler dismantled the Weimar Republic’s fragile democracy, and Trump assaults America’s institutions, from the Justice Department to the free press. In the 1930s, Hitler withdrew from the League of Nations, remilitarized the Rhineland, and annexed Austria, testing the world’s resolve. Today, Trump has shredded the imperfect but functional international order that maintained global peace since World War 2. He pulled the US from the Paris Climate Accord, withdrew from the World Health Organization, and effectively renounced the 1951 Refugee Convention. His executive order mandating a review of all multilateral organizations and treaties signals the potential end of US involvement in the UN itself. In Venezuela, he ordered a brazen attack to seize President Nicolás Maduro, violating sovereignty and echoing 19th-century gunboat diplomacy. Threats to annex Greenland and Canada, invade Mexico, or bomb Colombia flout international law, replacing rules with raw power. As one expert warns, this is “shattering the post-World War 2 order as never before,” leaving a world unrecognizable.

Trump’s actions will have long-lasting negative repercussions geopolitically and economically, destabilizing the global order. The post-WW2 framework—built on military alliances like NATO, trade bodies like the World Trade Organization, and norms against aggression—prevented another world war for eight decades. Trump treats these all as a burden and constraint on American power, imposing tariffs that fracture supply chains, weaponize economic integration, and exploit vulnerabilities. His “America First” agenda accelerates great-power rivalry, emboldening Russia and China. Putin’s invasion of Ukraine, which Trump has tacitly supported by withholding aid to the Ukrainians, mirrors Hitler’s early aggressions. Economically, his tariffs and isolationism disrupt global markets, fuelling inflation and uncertainty. The world economy, already fragile, faces further chaos as alliances fray and trade wars escalate due to Trump’s actions.

In all of this those who will pay the biggest price are the least powerful—the weak, the economically impoverished, and average consumers. As prices rise for essentials, the burden falls heaviest on the vulnerable. Food, in particular, has seen unprecedented inflation in Western economies over the past few years. In the US beef and veal prices surged 16.4% year-over-year in 2025, driven by a shrinking American cattle herds. Coffee jumped 1.9% monthly in December 2025, reaching $9.05 per pound. Eggs spiked dramatically, with retail prices falling only after peaks in 2023-2024 but still elevated due to the culling of chickens battered by avian flu outbreaks. Wheat prices, volatile since the start of Russia-Ukraine war, decreased 11.1% in 2025 but remain high overall. Sugar and dairy products also saw sharp rises, with “other foods” like sweets up 31% since 2020.

These increases, compounded by Trump’s tariffs on imports, hit low-income households hardest, eroding purchasing power for basic life necessities. In the US, food inflation outpaced overall inflation at 3.1% annually in 2025, up 19% since 2022. Globally, the FAO Food Price Index averaged 127.2 points in 2025, 4.3% higher than 2024. The poor, already struggling, face malnutrition and hardship as Trump’s destabilization ripples through commodity markets around the world.

This is where “middle powers”—as articulated by Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney in his Davos speech—must step up. Carney warned of a “rupture, not a transition” in the global order, urging middle powers like Canada, Australia, South Korea, France, the UK and others to act together. “If we’re not at the table, we’re on the menu,” he declared, calling for collective resistance against great-power coercion. These nations need to do more than talk and hold meetings. They must behave as if they are already at war with the Trump’s disruptive force. Appeasing him—through concessions on trade or security—will only invite further chaos and instability. History shows appeasement of Hitler in the 1930s led to war, and today the same policy with Trump risks repeating that dark chapter. In the face of this possible future middle powers should fortify alliances, diversify trade, bolster multilateral institutions, dramatically boost defence spending, and counter Trump’s unilateralism with coordinated diplomacy. As Carney emphasized, the power of legitimacy, integrity, and rules can prevail if wielded boldly.

If we are to accept Miller’s argument of the “iron laws” of strength and force, and the world were governed solely by might, then we would be in perpetual warfare, with no safety for anyone. We must strive for nations and a world governed by laws, rules, and norms that constrain the powerful, including Trump and the fascist thugs around him.

The struggle we face will be unlike anything witnessed in our lifetimes. It will not be won through aggression, but through unwavering commitment to democracy, the rule of law, and social justice. We will stop Trump with resolute determination—so that our children and grandchildren never live under a dictatorship. We cannot allow despair, fear, or paralysis to take hold, nor can we abandon the principles that define us.

From the wreckage Trump is making of the institutions and laws that have shaped our imperfect world, we will rebuild a society and global order rooted in moral authority rather than bombs. A world where greatness is measured by shared prosperity, not by the concentrated wealth of billionaires or the grip of fascist oligarchs. As in World War II, this is a battle we must win—and then, just as crucially, we must rebuild. Because that is the only path forward we have.

© 2026 The View From Here. © 2026 Fareed Khan. All Rights Reserved.