“Palestine crystallises the fundamental contradiction between the right to self-determination and colonialism. It is the most totemic national democratic struggle of our generation.”
By Declan Kearney MLA
Following the defeat of fascism in 1945, the UN Charter fuelled the emergence of a new international moral order which established the primacy of multilateralism, diplomacy and peaceful coexistence in managing global relations.
The Charter directly challenged the existence of imperialism and colonialism. In short, it declared the right of oppressed peoples to be free and to self-determination.
Since the beginning of 2025, the words and actions of the new US administration have confirmed its total rejection of the existing rules-based approach to managing geopolitical relations.
Hence, the threats to begin trade wars and the demonisation of international partners; support for unilateral attacks against Lebanon, Syria, Yemen, and the unprovoked war against Iran; and most recently, the violation of Qatar’s national sovereignty by Israel.
And we can add to this list by including the narrative which denies the existence of a worldwide climate emergency; and continued aggressive implementation of US imperialist objectives in the Caribbean and Latin America – and in particular, against Cuba.
The fundamental rights conferred on every nation by the UN Charter are being routinely ripped up, and repeatedly so on the floor of the UN General Assembly and UN Security Council.
Meanwhile, wars rage in Ukraine, as a result of the imperialist interests of Russian oligarchs; and in Congo and Sudan, due to the legacy of neocolonialism in Africa. However, Palestine crystallises the fundamental contradiction between the right to self-determination and colonialism. It is the most totemic national democratic struggle of our generation.
The largest Western states continue to shore up their economic and military dominance through the G7, NATO, and the ‘Five Eyes’ surveillance and espionage alliance. And yet, despite this, significant global shifts and realignments are happening.
The courageous leadership given by South Africa by taking its case against Israel to the International Court of Justice under the Genocide Convention inspires hope. Its role alongside Colombia and others in developing The Hague Group as a multilateral platform against Zionist colonialism in Palestine is hugely significant.
At the same time, the widening of the BRICS partnership is creating a bulwark against the attrition of Western neoliberalism in the Global South and East. The influence of the African Union and the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States can no longer be ignored.
The mobilisation of Africa, Asia, Latin America, and Arab countries, which are committed to the multilateral order, along with other democratic voices, will be essential to bringing about reform of the UN as an institution, and restoring its authority.
And although colonialism continues to cast a long shadow, we cannot lose sight of the fact that our global landscape has been progressively shaped by anti-imperialist struggles.
A new international political programme with self-determination and national democracy at its core is needed.
- Declan Kearney is an MLA for South Antrim and National Chair of Sinn Féin. You can follow him on Facebook, Twitter/X and Instagram.
- This article was originally published in Sinn Féin’s Autumn 2025 International Bulletin.
