How the West ...
Page 1
Undermining international law and reinforcing colonial hierarchies
The real threat is not Iran’s missiles, but the erosion of the international legal framework that is supposed to govern state behavior.
When the term “proliferation” is diluted and manipulated to serve political ends, it weakens the credibility of the NPT and disrupts the global consensus required to contain WMDs.
If any weapon—regardless of its function—can arbitrarily be labeled as “proliferative,” the term loses its meaning, allowing powerful states to exploit legal ambiguity to suppress adversaries while arming their own allies with impunity.
Moreover, this rhetoric perpetuates entrenched colonial hierarchies in international relations. Imagine if Indonesia or Mexico branded U.S. fighter jets as “proliferative” and demanded sanctions on Washington.
The absurdity of such a scenario reveals the underlying reality: “proliferation” is a rhetorical weapon used to deny certain states—particularly those in the Global South—the right to arm and defend themselves. The G7’s framing ensures that countries outside the Western security order remain monitored, disarmed, and punished for resisting coercion.
A world where might defines right
The G7’s narrative is not about security—it is about preserving a world order where might makes right. In this system, Western nations profit from a $1.7 trillion global arms industry, supplying weapons to fuel conflicts while dictating who may and may not possess the means to defend themselves. As long as international law is applied selectively, the term “proliferation” will remain a tool of hegemony, used not to protect humanity, but to subordinate those who dare to challenge Western dominance.
Iran’s missiles and drone program is not the issue. The issue is who gets to decide what constitutes a “threat” and who gets to act with impunity. If the international legal order is to retain any credibility, it must abandon these double standards and ensure that principles of self-defense, sovereignty, and non-interference are applied equally to all nations—not just those favored by the West.