March 01, 2025
By Nasser Kandil
• The spectacle of U.S. President Donald Trump preying upon Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky should not be reduced to a debate over political stances. Framing this scene in terms of choosing the more justifiable side is nothing more than hypocrisy and an evasion of truth.
• What we witnessed was one of the most grotesque displays in international relations: a great power sinking its claws into the face of a small state. No reprieve, no intercession, only the cold calculus of a power that claims to seek an end to the war it itself ignited. It turned the small nation into a mere battleground for its ambitions, where its people perished, its cities crumbled to rubble, and its army collapsed – all sacrificed on the altar of the greater power.
• It matters little whether Zelensky’s approach was reckless or calculated, nor does it make a difference how wise or naive he may have been. Trump had already decided to drag his supposed ally before the cameras and devour him whole, to make an example of him, a warning to all other allies that ultimate authority rests with Trump alone.
• This is a moment that should send shivers down the spines of presidents, kings, and princes in every country still labouring under the delusion that they are allies of the United States. The scene itself is enough to dispel that illusion: America has no allies, only slaves. And should any supposed ally dare to question an American decision, especially one that dooms their own country, offered as a cheap sacrifice on Washington’s altar, they will share Zelensky’s fate: a live broadcast of their own political execution.
• For the Arab leaders preparing to convene and discuss Trump’s plan to expel Gaza’s population, they would do well to watch this spectacle at least ten times before indulging in the illusion that his proposal is open to rational discussion, or that technical considerations are driving this project, making it subject to technical debate This is not a negotiation, it is a brawl, complete with hair-pulling, face-slapping, and perhaps even low blows. Are you prepared for that? If not, you had better be.
Anyone who, like Zelensky, naively believes they can challenge Trump in discussion should expect to walk into an ambush and face a cold, calculated humiliation. The Arabs have two choices: they can submit as slaves to Netanyahu to avoid Trump’s wrath, or they can defy that wrath and take a decision that serves their own nations, their cause, and their security. Let them test Trump’s fury, it crumbled before Yemen alone, a country that never feared his anger nor cared to appease it. Instead, Yemen’s hypersonic missiles did the talking, persuading American aircraft carriers that departure was the only reasonable course.
