If there’s one space of political data that is still poorly understood, it’s geopolitics. This subject examines worldwide energy relations (domination and resistance, colonization, imperialism, conflict) in addition to the methods that actors deploy to protect or strengthen their dominance and exert management over territories, assets, or strategic areas (buffer zones, spheres of affect, ideological penetration). Conversely, it additionally incorporates methods of opposition to those insurance policies.
Obstacles to beat
Analysis on this subject is primarily funded by governments. The assume tanks that conduct this analysis (Brookings Establishment, Rand Company) have immense assets that enable them to exert affect, however they’re fairly often subservient to the governments that fund them. Quite a few comparable organizations are additionally depending on their donors. As everybody is aware of, you do not chew the hand that feeds you.
One other impediment confronts these looking for to grasp geopolitical realities. Whereas investigative journalism exists on the municipal and nationwide ranges, and journalists readily criticize governments on these numerous points, the scenario is totally totally different on the subject of worldwide politics. The main conventional media shops (mainstream or established media) now not present investigative journalism on this space. One should depend on just a few overseas correspondents, who merely report occasions, leaving little or no room for evaluation, and a handful of reports companies (AP, Reuters, AFP, Bloomberg). Alternatively, one can flip to the New York Occasions, a newspaper that maintains shut ties with US officers, however which, for that very motive, usually turns into a conduit for the data these officers need to see circulated.
Along with these first two obstacles, there’s the discretion of states, which don’t at all times clearly disclose their overseas coverage. They usually act covertly (CIA, NED, USAID). Arms gross sales are carried out in secret, away from the media highlight. Plans are hatched behind closed doorways. Selections are made in authorities places of work to which nobody has entry. It’s the heads of state and a handful of individuals of their interior circle who make the selections. Elected officers, journalists, and the general public, on the whole, are introduced with a fait accompli.
Usually talking, within the worldwide enviornment, states difficulty interpretations that function the official line to be adopted. The mainstream media and licensed “consultants” repeat this line or supply variations on it. Criticism can solely concern particulars, not the road itself. It’s permissible to say that one’s nation’s coverage isn’t being carried out correctly, however not that it’s flawed, unjust, dangerous, reprehensible, or contradicts solemnly proclaimed rules. The Western camp is handled with leniency, whereas these it assaults are vilified. There’s even a quasi-standardized vocabulary that the standard media undertake in unison to distort, deceive, or conceal actuality. For instance, the American-Israeli aggression in opposition to Iran turns into an “offensive,” bombings are known as “strikes,” and civilian victims as “targets,” assassinations are reworked into “decapitations,” Hezbollah is labeled “pro-Iranian” however Israel isn’t described as “pro-American,” Hezbollah and Iran are at all times “weakened,” nations attacked by america and/or Israel are denigrated as “regimes,” Israeli assaults are described as “retaliation,” and resistance to those assaults is labeled “violence” and “terrorism,” Russia and China are “threats,” and so forth. On worldwide points, opinions are monolithic, and pluralism is discouraged, even prohibited, by a censorship that dare not communicate its identify. For this reason the general public distrusts mainstream media, in reality propaganda organs for US imperialism, and turns to various media, unbiased of political or financial energy, the place debate and important considering haven’t been stifled.
A fertile floor for conspiracy theories
The shortcomings of conventional media have fostered the expansion of social media, the place numerous contributors share their opinions and analyses on authorities methods. They fill the void left by mainstream media, that are conspicuously absent, and compete with sponsored analysis facilities that principally assist the established order. Whereas some supply a breath of recent air with insightful analyses, others could develop fanciful opinions or so-called conspiracy theories. That is undoubtedly additionally why we’ve got witnessed the parallel rise of fact-checkers that’s, people who make a profession out of criticizing “disinformation,” “misinformation,” and “malinformation.” Nonetheless, the pendulum has in the end swung within the different route, to the purpose the place, in line with some, it’s even problematic to posit the very existence of any conspiracy in any respect. Claiming {that a} conspiracy exists is now perceived because the product of a conspiracy principle. We discover ourselves within the deplorable scenario the place the failings of social media are added to the vices of mainstream media.
Rinky-dink geopolitics
Along with facilitating the unfold of conspiracy theories, the poverty of geopolitical data on social media manifests itself in a number of different methods. As in mainstream media, conflicts are excessively psychologized and customized by demonizing a head of state. When this persists over a number of years, the general public find yourself forming opinions based mostly on the portrait that has been painted advert nauseam. This has been the case with Slobodan Milosevic, Saddam Hussein, Muammar Gaddafi, Bashar al-Assad, and Vladimir Putin. It’s simple to demonize them as a result of, like all world leaders with out exception, they are often criticized. The technique is to focus solely and unilaterally on them, attributing solely repulsive traits and ignoring the context. The caricature of the “villain” is the inspiration of propaganda.
One other misguided method is to undertaking the traits of the home political regime onto exterior political actuality, implying that each one geopolitical occasions may be defined by the home scenario. In accordance with this view, authoritarian, fascist, or tyrannical political leaders behave correspondingly on the worldwide stage. And all worldwide points ought to be defined by the character of sure leaders or the character of sure regimes. The worldwide order would then showcase, on the one hand, fascist tendencies current in a number of societies and, on the opposite, democracy because it may, in precept (however not essentially in actuality), be skilled inside our personal societies. The opposition between fascist authoritarianism and democracy (within the summary) is formulated in phrases that relate to the character of home regimes, however it’s used as a enough framework to account for geopolitical actuality.
It may well occur that the 2 ranges coincide. For instance, its Zionist ideology and regime make Israel an aggressive and expansionist entity. However, on the whole, there is no such thing as a automated relationship. A liberal (supposedly “democratic”) state may be imperialist and belligerent; Western historical past affords a number of examples. Conversely, a tyrant internally can be a sufferer externally. Regardless of having dedicated atrocities in opposition to the Kurdish folks, Saddam Hussein and his nation had been nonetheless the targets of unprovoked aggression from america. Alongside the identical traces, a reductive evaluation of geopolitical occasions based mostly solely on inner regimes will lead some to clarify the rapprochement between Trump and Putin by the truth that they’re each authoritarian heads of state, whereas, from a geopolitical perspective, this rapprochement (admittedly fairly superficial) is defined by the truth that america is compelled to acknowledge its defeat within the conflict it instigated. Our earlier article in Pressenza emphasised the distinction between the 2 ranges (“Resisting fascism, actually, however imperialism as nicely!”) [1].
From a geopolitical perspective, the first concern is to stay vigilant relating to imperialism and resistance to imperialism, inequalities in worldwide energy dynamics, habits on the worldwide stage, the excellence between aggressor and sufferer of aggression, and the proper to safety of all states and peoples, whatever the nature of their regimes. Regime preferences don’t grant any proper to intervene in nations whose home insurance policies don’t align with our needs. It’s solely the prerogative of the populations involved to determine their very own inner political affairs, not of overseas powers, underneath any pretext in any respect.
The Iranian difficulty
Allow us to now flip to Iran. (For an account of the present scenario, see our Pressenza article The American-Israeli aggression in opposition to Iran, Realpolitik, and world conflict. [2]) Some acknowledge the existence of two particular political dimensions. They clearly distinguish between points associated to a states inner politics and people associated to its exterior coverage. Nonetheless, with regard to Iran, they suggest, even within the current context, to not downplay the issues linked to the clerical regime that emerged from the 1979 anti-Shah revolution, and significantly the remedy of girls. Those that stick with the geopolitical dimension and refuse to think about the interior dimension would de facto be in collusion with the regime and ought to be accused (particularly by those that are looking for salvation by way of imperialist interventionism) of “campism”, specifically, of this propensity to just accept en bloc all of the positions adopted by a regime, each in its home and overseas insurance policies.
The flaw on this argument is that it fails to acknowledge that home political points concern Iranians, not the remainder of the world. Neither the Mossad nor the CIA ought to intervene. America shouldn’t impose unilateral “sanctions” that result in the deaths of hundreds of Iranians. For instance, in our earlier articles, we totally condemned the genocide perpetrated by Netanyahu in Gaza (“Israel in Gaza: a genocidal enterprise?” [3]), however we didn’t deal with the opposite alleged wrongdoings that ought to convey him to justice in his personal nation. The supremacism, apartheid and theocracy of Israeli society will not be grounds for intervening in, aggressing or invading Israel. Likewise, our place relating to the Iranian theocratic regime can also be irrelevant, and for a similar motive. Our views of the American regime are very detrimental, however, as non-Individuals, we solely condemn the actions of america internationally and go away the accountability for his or her regime to the American folks. Briefly, any nation underneath assault, together with Iran, have to be defended, no matter its regime.
However there’s extra. There is a basic motive to withstand the temptation to incorporate criticisms of a regime when discussing geopolitical points. The reason being, as soon as once more, fairly easy. It could create a sound justification for intervention within the eyes of Western populations. Take the instance of Saddam Hussein. A number of Western leaders endorsed the concept Iraq possessed weapons of mass destruction, that it was partly answerable for the assault on the World Commerce Heart towers, and that it imported uranium from Africa. Though all of this was utterly false, many, together with political leaders, consoled themselves by saying that the conflict waged in opposition to Iraq by america had no less than gotten rid of a tyrant. Iraq’s inner scenario is invoked to justify unprovoked aggression. Word the hypocrisy of the West. Saddam Hussein and Iraq would have been open to criticism for the 1980 aggression in opposition to Iran. But, the West remained silent on this. Why? As a result of Iraq was the proxy doing the West’s soiled work in opposition to Iran. “Saddam” solely grew to become a “dictator” after the conflict in opposition to Iran, when he was now not helpful to his sponsors. The Halabja bloodbath, perpetrated in opposition to the Kurds in March 1988, was solely denounced within the West in October 1988, after the July 1988 ceasefire between Iran and Iraq. All of the extra motive to be cautious of the labels which can be relentlessly repeated and whose goal is to govern the general public.
In Syria, for instance, beginning in 2011, the assist supplied by the West, Turkey, the Arab monarchies and Israel to jihadist terrorist teams culminated within the overthrow of Bashar al-Assad on the finish of 2024. These unaware of geopolitics will shrug and say, “Good riddance for this tyrant.” However that is exactly what the US empire desires us to assume. The native chief of Al-Qaeda seized energy, and this collusion with a motion that was as soon as acknowledged as a terrorist group permits the Individuals to manage oil flows, push out Russia and facilitate Israel’s territorial growth. Whereas geopolitical historical past unfolds earlier than our eyes, American propaganda solely reveals a demonized particular person ousted from energy. No established media outlet mentions america occupying a 3rd of the nation, Turkey manipulating terrorists, or Israel together with southern Syria in “Higher Israel.” No media outlet stories on the shut ties between america and Al-Qaeda, however the picture of the tyrant is maintained to confuse public opinion.
The identical factor may occur with Iran. The Individuals and Israelis may be flawed to assault Iran, however we’re advised that their intervention may no less than rid us of the “mullahs’ regime.” We’re being promised an enchancment within the lot of girls. But, no earlier imperialist aggression has had this impact. Take into account neighboring Afghanistan, the place the 2001 US invasion was introduced to the Western public as a marketing campaign to permit Afghan women to go to highschool. This argument was aimed toward naive folks and to those that are unaware of historical past. Clearly, nothing of the type occurred, as any observer of imperialism with even the slightest consciousness knew. In an Iran reworked into an American-Israeli neocolony, Iranian girls may endure the identical destiny as their Afghan counterparts. Somewhat than overthrowing the mullahs, Trump is solely making an attempt to cultivate them, together with the prevailing system, to serve america. For this reason the pretender to the throne, Reza Pahlavi, is being saved at arm’s size. Lastly, allow us to keep in mind that america is answerable for the “sanctions” which have contributed to strangling the Iranian financial system and impoverishing the Iranian folks, each women and men. The solicitude expressed for the latter is merely a smokescreen to deceive the Western punlic.
Political actuality or “conflict of civilizations”?
One final impediment have to be overcome to realize a real understanding of geopolitical actuality. Because the Canadian Prime Minister appears to have carried out, one can observe the tip of the unipolar world, the tip of a rules-based worldwide order and the abandonment of neoliberal ideology, understood as an promoting billboard that we really feel compelled to show in our store window.
Does this imply that we actually settle for a multipolar world (and never the unipolar world envisioned by america in 1991 with the dismantling of the USSR), that we defend worldwide regulation (as an alternative of a rules-based worldwide order conceived by america), and that we subscribe to a globalization that respects the rights of peoples (as an alternative of the neoliberal ideology advocating the erasure of borders, the weakening of states and a blind belief in stateless oligarchs)?
There are alternative ways of conceiving a multipolar world, rejecting a rules-based worldwide order and abandoning the neoliberal phantasm. We now have simply talked about one, however some subscribe as an alternative to the “conflict of civilizations,” as described by Samuel Huntington. In accordance with this viewpoint, there now exist a number of irreconcilable civilizations (that may symbolize the multipolar world). By advantage of our belonging to Western civilization, on the middle of which is America, america would have the proper to impose itself in every single place in our hemisphere, together with in Venezuela, Cuba and Nicaragua.
In accordance with this viewpoint, our civilization, based on “Judeo-Christian values,” is being challenged by Chinese language, Russian, and Iranian civilizations. Subsequently, we should struggle in opposition to these civilizations as a result of they’re supposedly aggressive in direction of us.
Thus, on June 29, 2022, inside the framework of the Madrid Declaration, NATO members described China as a risk to NATO’s very important pursuits. The declaration acknowledged: “We face systemic competitors from these, together with the Peoples Republic of China, who problem our pursuits, safety, and values and search to undermine the rules-based worldwide order. [4] This narrative a few Chinese language risk has all of the hallmarks of a conspiracy principle.
Russia, for its half, is taken into account a risk to all of Europe. On this context, European nations are topic to Donald Trump’s injunction to extend their navy spending to five% of their respective GDPs. They’ve additionally complied with Pete Hegseth ‘s February 2025 directive to implement a “division of labor,” with the US coping with China and the Europeans with Russia. Surprisingly, the principle European leaders have been extra bellicose than the American imperial energy. Undaunted by any inconsistency, they reiterated that Russia had not truly superior into Ukrainian territory, however that it nonetheless constituted a risk to all member states of the European Union. This narrative transposes conspiracy theories to a global scale.
In Iran, lastly, the main target shifted to the perceived hazard posed by the nuclear risk to Israel. In 1992, Netanyahu asserted that Iran may possess a nuclear weapon inside three to 5 years. He made the identical declare in 1995. In 2009, he advised members of the US Congress that Iran could be one or two years away from buying nuclear weapons. In 2012, on the UN, he brandished a diagram of a bomb as an instance that Iran may have sufficient enriched uranium for a primary bomb by the spring or summer season of 2013. In 2015, Israel warned the US Congress that Iran may be solely weeks away from buying nuclear weapons. The identical chorus was repeated in 2025-2026 to justify Israeli aggression. This time, he claimed that Iran may produce a nuclear weapon in a short time, inside a matter of months. In different phrases, an influence possessing 80 to 300 nuclear bombs could be the potential sufferer of a nuclear assault from a rustic that doesn’t possess them. On this context, it’s tough to not see an analogous tendency to increase conspiracy theories to a global scale.
These three conspiracy theories involving China, Russia, and Iran define the contours of a false “conflict of civilizations.” These are three smokescreens masking the hegemonic ambitions of the US/Israel tandem. Thus, Prime Minister Mark Carney ‘s Davos speech asserting the tip of the unipolar world, the tip of a rules-based worldwide order and the tip of neoliberal ideology isn’t essentially linked to a critique of American hegemony, since it’s a discourse suitable with the “conflict of civilizations” doctrine. To get a deal with on geopolitical actuality because it unfolds earlier than our eyes, we should perceive that the “conflict of civilizations” doctrine is a diversion that have to be discarded.
Conclusion
When confronted with imperialist aggression, the precedence is to repel it, as its success would assure the strengthening or institution of the worst evils one fears for a rustic. Whether or not one agrees with its regime or not, imperialist management can solely worsen its scenario. It’s subsequently essential to prioritize: first, get rid of the hazard of overseas management and the perpetuation of inner response; then undertake the specified inner transformations. One should know the right way to sequence priorities. That is referred to as having a technique. One doesn’t struggle “the regime” whereas bombs are raining down on Iran and the very existence of the nation is at stake. One should deal with the principle drawback of the momentsovereignty and independenceand cope with the opposite later. This was additionally the case in nationwide liberation struggles and even in the course of the Second World Conflict, when it was essential to briefly mute opposition to British and French imperialisms in an effort to block the trail of the extra harmful German imperialism.
Past this, we should acknowledge the panic gripping American imperialism and its dedication to weaken states that oppose it. We should perceive that this imperialism is globalized and that the American state is ready to do something to keep up its place as the only real hegemon. At present, there is just one imperialist state: america of America. It confronts all those that supply nationalist resistance, together with the Russian, Chinese language, and Iranian states. No matter one thinks of the Iranian regime, it’s nationalist and defends the nation in opposition to imperialist aggression. To know imperialism in our time, see Samir Saul’s e-book: Imperialism, As Rampant At present as within the Previous (Baraka Books, 2025). To know nationalism in our time, see Michel Seymour et al (eds), Rethinking Nationalism, Supplementary Quantity 22, Canadian Journal of Philosophy, Calgary, College of Calgary Press, 1996.
[1]https://www.pressenza.com/2025/12/resisting-fascism-certainly-but-imperialism-as-well/
[2]https://www.pressenza.com/2026/03/the-american-israeli-aggression-against-iran-realpolitik-and-world-war/
[3]https://www.pressenza.com/2023/11/israel-in-gaza-a-genocidal-enterprise/
[4]https://www.nato.int/fr/about-us/official-texts-and-resources/official-texts/2022/06/29/madrid-summit-declaration’selectedLocale=en
Samir Saul – Michel Seymour
