The United States hides behind the facade of democracy to obscure the many contradictions of its domestic and foreign policy. The Democratic Party specifically peddles this lie about using democracy to bring peace to the very regions it is helping to destroy.
Originally published in Hood Communist.
The United States often claims to promote democracy and human rights, but its actions reveal a deeper agenda of spreading global hegemony, exposing the hypocrisy in its foreign policy. A glaring example is the Biden-Harris administration’s simultaneous rhetoric of humanitarian concern and unwavering support for Israel, despite the latter’s ongoing military actions in Gaza. This contradiction exposes the inauthenticity of the U.S.’s commitment to democratic principles and human rights, especially when these principles conflict with its strategic alliances.
The Contradiction of Words and Actions
In a recent convention speech, President Joe Biden embarked on what can only be described as a journey into an alternative universe of political guile. Just six days earlier, he had approved a $20 billion military aid package to Israel, which is currently engaged in the genocide of the Palestinian people. Yet, in front of a roaring crowd, Biden spoke of working tirelessly to prevent a wider war, reunite hostages with their families, and alleviate the suffering of Palestinians through health and food assistance. The incongruity of these statements with the administration’s actions was stark, yet it was met with applause—a testament to the power of political narrative over moral clarity.
The applause during Biden’s speech underscored the grotesque moral obtuseness present in the convention hall. While the president praised and embraced Vice President Kamala Harris as the Democratic Party’s nominee for President, symbolizing the administration’s continuity, this same continuity of support was being extended to Israel’s military endeavors. This highlights the U.S.’s commitment to maintaining its support for Israel, even when that support directly contributes to the suffering of an entire population. The Biden-Harris administration’s efforts to portray itself as a mediator for peace while simultaneously fueling the conflict reveal a disturbing pattern of double standards on full display during the convention.
The Democratic National Convention (DNC) encapsulates this hypocrisy. It begins with a land acknowledgment—a gesture meant to recognize historical injustices—yet quickly pivots to pledging unconditional military support to Israel. This duality defines the liberal praxis of the DNC and its NGO base: as long as the rhetoric passes the marketing test, the material consequences are deemed irrelevant. This is the same logic that justifies colonial apologia, where the supposed benefits of empire are used to whitewash the atrocities committed under its banner.
Furthermore, the cynical use of “joy” as a theme for the DNC seemingly stands in contrast to the Trump administration’s often gloomy rhetoric, especially during a period of widespread despair. However, this calculated emphasis on joy not only serves as superficial opposition to Trump’s dour image but also masks the DNC’s deeper complicity in the ongoing genocide in Gaza. By promoting “joy” as a distraction, the DNC attempts to pacify and divert attention from its role in supporting violent policies abroad. This co-opting of joy becomes a tool of counterinsurgency, undermining genuine resistance by cloaking continued complicity in the suffering of others with a veneer of positivity.
As British writer and Journalist George Orwell famously said, “Those who control the present control the past, and those who control the past control the future.” The Biden administration is acutely aware of this truth. By controlling the current narrative—emphasizing humanitarian efforts, peace, and joy—the DNC is attempting to reshape the past and create a future where these contradictions are normalized. This manipulation of reality is not new in American politics, but the stakes are higher when the consequences involve life and death for millions of people in Palestine, Haiti, Sudan, Congo, and countless more nations.
The Biden- Harris administration’s double-talk is emblematic of a broader pattern in U.S. policy: the illusion of progress. They are working on a ceasefire, just as they are working on gun control, structural racism, housing, education, healthcare, climate change, income inequality, and abortion. In each case, the rhetoric of action masks a reality of inaction or, worse, complicity in the perpetuation of the very problems they claim to address.
In the case of Gaza, this pattern is especially pronounced. Benjamin Netanyahu’s government, emboldened by U.S. support, seeks any excuse to delay a ceasefire and continue its military operations. The U.S., in turn, provides diplomatic cover by pretending that negotiations are a positive step forward. This charade is intended to paint the Palestinian resistance as irrational and unreasonable, shifting the blame for continued violence onto those defending their right to exist. Yet, it is not the resistance that is being unreasonable; it is the occupation that continues to defy international law and accepted terms, with the backing of the United States.
The only real obstacle to a ceasefire is Netanyahu’s government, yet the U.S. continues to act as though the problem lies elsewhere. This not only undermines the possibility of peace but also reveals the extent to which U.S. foreign policy is driven by strategic interests rather than genuine concern for democracy and human rights.
The political hypocrisy exposed at the DNC—promoting ‘democracy’ while funding a genocide—is a damning indictment of its foreign policy, which Harris’ top advisor has explicitly stated she intends to continue, including no arms embargo. The contradiction between the rhetoric at the DNC, the Biden-Harris administration, and its actions lays bare the moral bankruptcy at the heart of the Democratic Party. The narrative of democracy and human rights that the U.S. projects to the world is meaningless when it is used to justify or obscure the very violations it purports to condemn.
Erica Caines is a poet, writer and organizer in Baltimore and the DMV. She is an organizing committee member of the anti war coalition, the Black Alliance For Peace as well as an outreach member of the Black centered Ujima People’s Progress Party. Caines founded Liberation Through Reading in 2017 as a way to provide Black children with books that represent them and created the extension, a book club entitled Liberation Through Reading BC, to strengthen political education online and in our communities.
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