What we are witnessing is not just a failure of policy but the failure of an entire structure that claims to stand for justice, peace, and human dignity. The monopoly of power wielded by the P5 countries, especially the United States, undermines the very purpose for which the United Nations was established. This system enables apartheid regimes and occupying powers ( like the Zionist regime) to act with impunity. It emboldens powerful nations to destroy entire regions—like Iraq, Syria, and Afghanistan—without fear of consequence or accountability.
Khayam Abbasi
The ongoing genocide and destruction in Gaza have become a grotesque stain on the face of humanity, international law, and the global order. It is a wound so deep and dark that humanity may not be able to wash it clean for centuries. The children, the elderly, the women, and the youth who are being martyred in the relentless Zionist bombings are not mere numbers. They are not statistics or anonymous faces. The images and videos of their suffering are not just social media content; they are harrowing stories of real people—once living, laughing, playing, and dreaming—now victims of a brutality that eclipses even some of the worst atrocities recorded in human history.
What is more horrifying than the crimes themselves is the silence of the powers that dominate the global system. While America and the West continue to supply the Zionist regime with weapons, financial support, and diplomatic cover, they simultaneously champion the slogans of human rights and democracy. This stark contradiction places a profound question mark on their moral credibility and exposes the sheer hypocrisy of the international order.
Despite overwhelming global outrage, with millions of people protesting around the world in support of Gaza, tangible outcomes remain absent. Why is it that the global outcry, the voices of millions demanding justice, fail to translate into meaningful action by their governments? Why do those in power, those with influence, continue to enable this genocide through complicity or silence? The answer lies buried in the hollow foundations and double standards of the so-called “rules-based international order.”
After World War II, the world created the United Nations with the promise that never again would humanity witness the horrors of global warfare or mass exterminations like the Holocaust. The United Nations was meant to be a democratic body where peace, justice, and equality would be upheld universally. However, the reality is far from this ideal. The structural design of the UN system is not based on democratic principles but on monopoly and dominance—especially that of powerful nations over weaker ones.
This monopolistic structure is most evident in the composition and functioning of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC). The UNSC has 15 members, of which only five are permanent (P5): the United States, Russia, China, the United Kingdom, and France. These five nations possess veto power, allowing any one of them to unilaterally block any resolution, regardless of the will of the majority. This veto system is the clearest manifestation of the United Nations’ undemocratic character, granting these five countries supremacy over the other 190+ member states.
The imbalance of power is striking. In the UN General Assembly, every nation is given an equal vote. However, the resolutions passed there are non-binding—they are mere recommendations without enforcement mechanisms. In contrast, the decisions of the Security Council carry real weight, and within it, power is concentrated in the hands of a few.
In the case of war of genocide in Gaza, this imbalance has had devastating consequences. The United States has vetoed four ceasefire resolutions in the Security Council since the war began. Despite this, the General Assembly has overwhelmingly supported calls for a ceasefire:
- On October 27, 2023, the General Assembly passed a resolution demanding an immediate humanitarian ceasefire, with 120 votes in favor, 14 against, and 45 abstentions.
- On December 12, 2023, another resolution was passed with 153 votes in favor, 10 against, and 23 abstentions.
- On December 11, 2024, a third resolution called for an immediate, unconditional, and permanent ceasefire, passed with 157 votes in favor, 8 against, and only 7 abstentions.
The average breakdown of these votes reveals a stark truth:
In favor: approximately 74.27%
Against: approximately 5.53%
Abstentions: approximately 12.96%
Despite a clear global consensus, one country—the United States—has repeatedly used its veto to prevent any binding action, allowing the genocide to continue unabated. This is not just a political failure; it is a moral collapse of the global system.
What we are witnessing is not just a failure of policy but the failure of an entire structure that claims to stand for justice, peace, and human dignity. The monopoly of power wielded by the P5 countries, especially the United States, undermines the very purpose for which the United Nations was established. This system enables apartheid regimes and occupying powers ( like the Zionist regime) to act with impunity. It emboldens powerful nations to destroy entire regions—like Iraq, Syria, and Afghanistan—without fear of consequence or accountability.
The current world order, based on dominance, deception, and selective morality, cannot survive much longer. If humanity is to have a future grounded in justice and peace, the monopolistic control at the heart of this system must be dismantled. The same structure that protects the terrorist Zionist state today is what allowed the devastation of countless nations in recent decades. The same structure that refuses to hold Israel accountable is the one that permitted the invasion and destruction of entire countries under the guise of “liberation” and “freedom.”
The world can no longer function under a system where a handful of nations dictate the fate of billions. The cries from Gaza echo this truth. The children martyred under the rubble, the mothers holding the lifeless bodies of their loved ones, and the generations being wiped out—all expose the ugly face of a system that was supposed to protect them.
The martyrs of Gaza have laid bare the failure and hypocrisy of the international order. Their sacrifice has illuminated the truth in a world built on illusions. Their patience and resilience in the face of unimaginable suffering have unmasked the injustice that lies at the heart of the global power structure.
It is now up to the conscience of humanity. We must ask ourselves: how long will we allow the machinery of oppression to operate under the mask of diplomacy and democracy? How long will we allow the veto of a single nation to hold the lives of millions hostage?
If real change is to occur, then the world must demand the reform—or even the complete restructuring—of the international system. A system built on justice cannot coexist with impunity. Peace cannot coexist with monopoly. True humanity cannot coexist with silence in the face of genocide.
The time has come to rewrite the rules. The cries of Gaza must not be in vain.
The writer is a freelance journalist.
