Development cooperation and security assistance must be conditional on adherence to the universal humanist values of the Enlightenment.
Assistance must not be given to a dictatorial regime that oppresses its population. The United States’ unconditional support for Israel, which practices an apartheid regime against the Palestinians, is not right. This assistance should have been accompanied by conditions in return. France’s support for Sahel countries against Islamist guerrillas has not been accompanied by a demand for democracy and human development. US protection of Saudi Arabia against Iran and Iraq was done despite the fact that Saudi Arabia practises discrimination between men and women, torture, monarchical dictatorship, and so on. In Gabon, France supported the Bongo dynasty in power to enable the country to prosper, but in exchange no democratic or human progress was demanded. As a result, the Gabonese have turned their backs on France. In Mali, no human measures were demanded in exchange for military assistance; the Malians saw that it protected the dictator in power and turned to the Wagner militias. This is creating resentment among the population. It’s a betrayal of the universal values of the UDHR.
In Taiwan, Ukraine or South Korea, Western protection has its requirements in terms of elections, human progress and the fight against corruption.
These countries have made tremendous human progress: they are true democracies respecting human rights, with real elections, no persecution of women or LGBT+, they don’t attack their neighbours, etc. So it’s possible.
On the night of April 13 to 14, 2024, Iran launched a salvo of 300 missiles and drones on Israel with the aim of killing as many people as possible, without being able to discriminate between civilians and soldiers. This is a war crime. If Iran or its allies in the Middle East were to repeat such an attack, Israel would need military assistance from Western countries to defend its population. This assistance must be conditional: an end to the massacres in Gaza, an end to the violence in the occupied territories, and an end to the apartheid regime against the Palestinians.
If a regime is backed without adhering to these values, what will the consequences be? Unconditional support for Israel has also led to support for the Israeli government, which massacres Gazans in total impunity.
These conditions must be negotiated publicly. The violence must stop. When the West intervenes, there must be security, schools, health, development and prosperity. Otherwise, there will be great disappointment, and this will fuel people’s turning away from the West.
