Dr M Ali Hamza
No congress permission to engage with Iran, but US intervention in bilateral war is not unprecedented. Strikes of Trump’s Government on Iranian’s so called nuclear facilities and supporting Israel narrative aligns with US historical personality. The history records have evidences where over the past fifty years, the United States has engaged in several military interventions that have been widely criticized as illegitimate, destructive to global peace, and in violation of international law. These actions have often resulted in catastrophic humanitarian consequences, destabilized regions, and undermined the very international legal framework that the US helped to establish.
US involvement in Vietnam War peaked in the late 1960s with massive bombing campaigns: Operation Rolling Thunder, and ground troop deployments reaching 500,000 by 1968. The war violated fundamental principles of the UN Charter regarding the prohibition of aggressive war. The extensive use of chemical weapons like Agent Orange, which contaminated vast areas and caused generational health problems, constituted clear violations of the Geneva Protocol. The My Lai massacre and other atrocities represented grave breaches of international humanitarian law regarding civilian protection. But that’s not it.
The 2003 invasion against Iraq, based on fabricated weapons of mass destruction claims violated the UN Charter’s prohibition on aggressive war. The subsequent occupation saw systematic violations including the Abu Ghraib torture scandal: violating the Convention Against Torture, and indiscriminate airstrikes causing massive civilian casualties. The war displaced millions and destabilized the entire region, creating conditions for ISIS to rise. Still, it’s not it.
The US has repeatedly orchestrated regime changes, violating sovereignty principles, from the 1973 Chile coup to 1980s Central America interventions supporting contra rebels in Nicaragua. These operations often involved training and funding forces committing human rights abuses, violating international law regarding non-intervention. Who does not know that the post 9/11 global war on terror saw numerous violations including: extraordinary rendition programs: i) violating the Convention Against Torture, ii) indefinite detention at Guantanamo: violating Geneva Conventions, iii) drone strikes causing disproportionate civilian casualties in Pakistan, Yemen and Somalia.
The 2017 Raqqa offensive killed over 1,600 civilians through indiscriminate bombing, violating principles of distinction and proportionality. These interventions have consistently undermined international legal norms while failing to achieve stated objectives, instead creating power vacuums, humanitarian crises, and long-term instability. As UN Secretary-General Guterres noted, such actions represent failures to uphold commitments to protect civilians and maintain peace. The legacy includes millions displaced, entire regions destabilized, and the erosion of the rules-based international order.
Let’s get to recent past few years. The world has witnessed catastrophic humanitarian crises in Gaza, the West Bank, and beyond, driven by Israeli military operations backed by unwavering US political and military support. The toll on civilian life, infrastructure, and basic survival has been staggering, with violations of international law widely documented. Since October 2023, Israeli attacks have killed over 50,144 Palestinians in Gaza, including 15,613 children. By mid-2025, estimates suggest the total exceeds 55,000, with thousands more buried under rubble.
Unbelievably 1.9 million people: 85% of Gaza’s population, are internally displaced, many forced into Rafah before it too was besieged. Around 90% of homes damaged or destroyed, Hospitals, schools, and UN shelters repeatedly bombed, with 72 hospitals targeted, leaving only 10% of medical facilities functional, and 96% of water is undrinkable due to destroyed sanitation systems. But that’s not it.
Reports tell that 91% of Gazans face acute hunger, with Israel blocking aid trucks despite 20,000+ tons of food waiting at borders, In June 2025, Israeli tank fire killed 50+ Palestinians waiting for flour in Khan Younis, The Biden and Trump administrations suspended funding to UNRWA, Gaza’s primary aid agency, based on unproven allegations, worsening famine conditions, and a topping to it, the US approved $3 billion in offensive weapons military aid to Israel , with an additional $20 billion approved in 2025, bypassing Congress. Regarding it, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) found “plausible genocide” in Gaza, yet US vetoed ceasefire resolutions and ignored ICJ.
The data reveals a pattern of systematic violence enabled or supported by US, with civilians paying the highest price. From mass graves to engineered famine, these actions underscore the urgent need for accountability and an end of military aid to Israel. As the UN warns, “even war has rules” rules repeatedly broken with impunity. Thus, whenever US is in, the peace is out.
