"Hypocrisy"
"Verily, the inexorable logic of capitalism decrees that profit shall be extracted at the barrel of a gun, and the sanctity of human life shall be rendered negotiable, for in this ghastly calculus, the strong shall thrive, whilst the weak shall perish, unless we dare to dismantle this edifice of oppression and forge a new world order wherein law serves humanity, not capital's insatiable avarice."
—Whalid Safodien
The Feather Pen
My
Personal Reckoning with Colonialism, Capitalism, and the Illusion of Global
Justice
I've been grappling with a disturbing question: Is colonialism just capitalism's
most violent expression? The more I study history, the
more I'm convinced that colonialism isn't just supported by capitalism—it is capitalism,
armed and brutal.
1.
Colonialism as Capitalism’s Bloody Business Model
What I see when I examine colonial history is a simple,
horrifying formula: profit
requires theft, and theft requires force.
·
The British
East India Company wasn’t just a corporation—it was
a corporate
empire, privatizing governance, extracting wealth, and
enforcing its rule with private armies. It wasn’t an exception; it was the
blueprint.
·
King Leopold II’s Congo Free State wasn’t
a kingdom—it was a corporate
venture, where rubber quotas were enforced by amputations.
Millions died, but the profits flowed.
·
Israel’s occupation of Palestine isn’t
just a conflict—it’s a real
estate takeover, where land is seized, water is stolen, and Palestinians
are pushed into ghettos while settlers build suburbs.
Capitalism doesn’t just allow this—it demands it. Expansion
requires new markets, cheap labor, and resources. If people stand in the way,
they must be removed—by law if possible, by force if necessary.
2.
The Military as Capitalism’s Legal Department
I’ve noticed something chilling: the law doesn’t restrain power—it
follows it.
·
The Doctrine
of Discovery (1493) declared non-Christian lands “empty”
so Europe could claim them. It wasn’t law—it was legalized theft.
·
Terra Nullius erased
Indigenous sovereignty by pretending land was “uninhabited” if people didn’t
farm like Europeans.
·
The Balfour
Declaration (1917) gave Palestine to Zionists without
asking Palestinians—because colonial powers make the rules for
everyone else.
And today?
·
Israel’s High Court rubber-stamps
land seizures by calling Palestinian property “state land.”
·
The U.S.
veto at the UN ensures Israel never faces consequences.
The lesson is clear: Law doesn’t protect the weak—it legitimizes
the strong.
3.
The United Nations: A Sham That Manages Empire
I used to believe the UN was a force for justice. Now I see it
for what it is: a
stage where empires pretend to care about rules they ignore when inconvenient.
·
The Security
Council veto means the U.S. can block 45+ resolutions on
Palestine while lecturing others about “international law.”
·
Russia gets sanctioned for Ukraine, but
Israel bombs Gaza with impunity.
·
The League
of Nations’ Mandate System didn’t end colonialism—it
rebranded it. The UN does the same today.
The UN doesn’t stop wars—it manages them.
4.
Capitalism’s “Right to Kill”
The hardest truth I’ve had to accept is this: Capitalism doesn’t just exploit—it
kills when necessary.
·
Slavery turned
human beings into commodities.
·
Sanctions on Iraq killed
half a million children—Madeleine Albright said it was “worth it.”
·
Palestinians are called “terrorists” so
their deaths don’t interfere with settlement expansions and gas deals.
This is the colonial-capitalist logic: Profit justifies
everything. Human life is negotiable.
My
Conclusion: Can This System Be Broken?
I don’t just study history—I look for ways out.
1.
The UN must be dismantled or radically
reformed. The veto power is a joke—a tool for empires to veto
justice.
2.
Boycotts (BDS) work. Economic
pressure brought down apartheid in South Africa; it can work for Palestine.
3.
We need a new global order—one
where law serves people, not capital.
Colonialism isn’t over. It’s just evolved. But
if we see it clearly—if we name its lies and resist its violence—we can break
it.
Because the alternative? A world where
might makes right, where money writes laws, and where some lives simply don’t
matter.
And I refuse to accept that.
—Whalid Safodien
The Feather Pen
"The UN is a Mass Grave with Bureaucracy: How International Institutions Legitimize Genocide in Palestine"
The UN doesn’t stop wars—it manages them.
—Whalid Safodien
The Feather Pen
