Reference News Network, March 15 report: On March 10, the Spanish newspaper "El País" published an article titled "The West Before the Mirror," authored by Ignacio Sánchez. The following is a compilation of the article:

After the collapse of the Soviet Union and the end of the Cold War, the United States became the sole global superpower. At that time, the prevailing view was that liberal democracy had defeated its last opponent.

In fact, this was a rare opportunity for the West to free itself from the heavy historical guilt it had carried: colonialism and its long-term consequences, the devastation of two world wars, the rampant fascism in Europe, and the painful memory of the Holocaust. If Western countries, after going through all this, still adhered to the rules they themselves established—democracy, human rights, international law—they would have had a solid foundation to defend their position before other countries around the world.

Unfortunately, Western countries once again missed the opportunity. They shouted liberal slogans while practicing double standards. The Western response to the September 11 terrorist attacks completely exposed these slogans as empty words. The United States and its allies launched a blind act of revenge—the "war on terror"—a war that destroyed the international order the Western countries had designed over the past few decades.

This ongoing war on terror has been the most serious humanitarian disaster so far this century. Instead of achieving democratization in the Middle East, the region has seen increased instability, falling into a more brutal cycle of violence. After 20 years of the war in Afghanistan, the United States had to withdraw in disgrace, allowing the Taliban to regain power. The invasion of Iraq intensified internal conflicts, and one of the many consequences was the emergence of the Islamic State—a particularly brutal Islamic extremist organization. Its scale far exceeds that of Al-Qaeda, which confirms the failure of the war on terror strategy.

Data collected by the "Costs of War" project led by experts at Brown University show that the direct casualties caused by the war on terror, initiated by George W. Bush and his NATO allies and continued by subsequent presidents, are estimated to be about 900,000 people (about 370,000 of them civilians), with another 3.7 million people dying indirectly due to these wars. In addition to these loss of life and political destruction in the region, the U.S.-led wars in the Middle East have also undermined international law and weakened the authority of the United Nations.

Today, the massacre in Gaza has rendered Western rhetoric once again powerless. This is a genocide that was broadcast live, completely different from the "late discovery" of the Nazi concentration camp atrocities at the end of World War II. The United States has always supported Israel, while European countries chose to look the other way. To ease their guilt for complicity in the genocide, many European leaders expressed support for the "two-state solution," but this plan has long since stopped being mentioned as the "Greater Israel" plan gradually comes into effect.

The attack on Iran is part of this ongoing negation of universal values. Although we have always been talking about the danger posed by Trump, this issue existed long before. Since the beginning of this century, we have witnessed various serious violations of international law. From the war in Afghanistan, the war in Iraq, to the current war against Iran, as well as interference in Libya and support for the genocide in Gaza, there is a common thread running through them all: a systematic pattern of behavior. Regardless, what is "new" about Trump is that he no longer even bothers to talk about establishing democracy in the Middle East. If he does not believe in democracy in the United States, how can he believe in establishing democracy in Iran? He cannot even provide a convincing explanation for the purpose of this war, only justifying this unilateral illegal attack by claiming that the Iranian regime is widely opposed by the people.

The Western countries should seriously reflect: the image reflected in the mirror is not beautiful. If we refuse to learn from past mistakes, we are merely talking about freedom values. The atrocities of previous eras are repeating themselves, and double standards are openly practiced in international relations. If, in a chaotic world, liberal democratic values yield to the will of power, then the decline of the West is inevitable. I think people must be shocked by the ability of the West to destroy the foundation of its own value system's legitimacy.

Original source: toutiao.com/article/7617394348895846946/

Statement: The article represents the views of the author alone.