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First Post
7 hours ago
- Politics
- First Post
Trump's Maga: America's isolationist push that's ‘absolutely obsessed with foreign countries'
Trump's Maga programme talks about America's withdrawal, but its real foreign policy seems to look for control of global diplomacy without any nuances that diplomats have practised for decades read more Even though the Maga movement often talks loudly about 'America First' and says it wants to keep the US out of foreign problems, what it actually does on the world stage is more complicated. President Donald Trump and his deputy Vice President JD Vance often say that wars in places like Gaza and Ukraine are 'not America's wars'. But in reality, they still get very involved in global affairs—not by sending troops or starting new partnerships, but by interfering through diplomacy, spreading certain narratives and making symbolic gestures. This shows more of an obsession with world events than a true withdrawal from them. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD The Maga movement believes in national independence and staying out of other countries' business. But at the same time, it keeps stepping into the internal politics of other nations—for example, criticising UK leaders over free speech or pressuring South Africa's president about false claims of genocide. This creates a clear contradiction: while Maga talks about pulling back from the world, its actions show a strong desire to shape other countries based on its own beliefs. Gaza: Not our war, but always our deal Trump has insisted that the ongoing conflict in Gaza is not America's war, and yet the White House under his leadership has leaned heavily into the crisis, not just rhetorically but diplomatically. Trump reportedly expressed intense frustration recently over the Gaza war, viewing it as the final impediment to West Asia peace and prosperity. White House officials described his visible upset at images of Palestinian suffering and his efforts to pressure Israel into opening crossings for humanitarian aid. Despite the administration's disavowal of direct involvement, Trump worked actively behind the scenes to influence the conflict's trajectory. He reportedly urged the Israeli government to 'wrap it up' and facilitated a backchannel deal that led to the release of US-Israeli hostage Edan Alexander. His frustration with the stalemate even prompted broader appeals for a ceasefire and post-conflict reconstruction of Gaza. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said the president was 'working overtime' to resolve both the Gaza and Ukraine conflicts. So, even though Trump says that the war in Gaza isn't America's problem, he still seems to believe that trying to make a peace deal—or at least looking like he is—helps build his image as a key global negotiator. This shows that Maga's idea of isolationism isn't really about stepping away from the world. Instead, it's about carefully choosing when to get involved, mainly in a way that looks good and helps them take credit or control the story, rather than actually trying to bring peace or stability to the region. Ukraine: Disengaged, yet deeply involved Trump has repeatedly said that Ukraine is not America's war, echoing the MAGA line of distancing from entangling alliances and European squabbles. And yet, the administration's engagement has hardly resembled detachment. On May 26, Trump lambasted Vladimir Putin on social media platforms for what he described as the largest drone and missile assault of the Ukraine war, calling the Russian president 'absolutely CRAZY' and 'playing with fire'. In the same breath, Trump scolded Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, blaming his tone for making matters worse and warning that it 'better stop'. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD In public and private statements, Trump has straddled a line between peacemaker and critic. Just days before the Russian escalation, he reportedly spent two hours on the phone with Putin, attempting to negotiate a ceasefire. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov acknowledged the US administration's 'emotional' involvement and thanked Trump for pushing peace talks — a curious gesture to someone claiming to disengage. Trump's frustration reveals more than just concern. It points to a fixation. His warning that Putin's escalation could lead to Russia's downfall, and his floating of new sanctions, show that he remains deeply involved in the conflict's outcomes, even while insisting it is none of America's business. The Maga line on Ukraine is not one of classic non-intervention, but rather of frustrated puppeteering: pulling strings without boots on the ground. The India-Pakistan ceasefire story Perhaps the most revealing example of Maga's obsession with foreign entanglements is Trump's self-proclaimed role in the India-Pakistan ceasefire — a claim India has repeatedly denied. Trump claimed that the 10 May-ceasefire between India and Pakistan was only achieved after he offered both countries trade access with the US, leveraging tariffs as a diplomatic cudgel to prevent all-out war. His Commerce Secretary Howard W Lutnick repeated the claim as the Trump administration faced legal troubles over domestic policies. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD But India strongly rejected these assertions, saying the ceasefire was the result of direct military-to-military negotiations following India's Operation Sindoor, launched in retaliation for a deadly terror attack in Pahalgam. The Trump administration's version of events, including its suggestion that trade deals averted catastrophe, was dismissed outright. The contradiction is telling. The Maga claim about non-interventionism in global affairs crumbles in the face of Trump's eagerness to take credit for complex foreign events. The India-Pakistan situation is an especially egregious case — not only because Trump's involvement is disputed, but because it exposes a willingness to distort diplomatic history in service of political theatre. This is less about isolationism and more about inserting America into every international development, whether the facts support it or not. Myth of the modern isolationist Ganesh, writing in the Financial Review, questions the idea that Trump is truly an isolationist. During Trump's first term, the US bombed Syria and killed Iran's General Qasem Soleimani—clear signs that America was not pulling away from the world. Still, the media often calls him an 'isolationist,' maybe because the truth—that the US under Trump became more unpredictable and picked fights in a selective, aggressive way—is harder to define and more uncomfortable to face. The Maga movement doesn't want to leave the world stage. Instead, it wants to reshape the world to match its own views. Maga's energy is often aimed not at foreign enemies, but at people who don't share its beliefs—including America's own allies. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD It no longer promises to protect Nato countries, but instead criticises European leaders about moral and cultural matters. Trump's supporters show this clearly. Vance says fights like the one between India and Pakistan are 'none of our business,' but still gets involved in issues like free speech in the UK or Christian persecution in Africa. This isn't isolationism—it's a kind of ideological expansion without using the military. The goal isn't peace by stepping back, but control through stories, influence, and culture wars. Maga's global interest hides behind an anti-globalist message, but in truth, it wants to change worldwide norms to match its own views—or at least make sure its ideas are heard everywhere. Maga's interest in foreign policy is mostly focused on influence, not traditional power. The US might not have as much hard power as it once did, but as Ganesh pointed out, it still has the biggest cultural and media platforms in the world. Maga leaders such as Elon Musk (until very recently) and Vance grew up in a time when public commentary and showmanship started to matter more than real diplomacy or long-term strategy. In their worldview, the main goal isn't solving problems—it's about putting on a show. Trump's efforts to appear as a peace-broker in Gaza, his mixed messages about both Putin and Zelenskyy and even his made-up role in the India-Pakistan ceasefire aren't really about getting results. They're about shaping a story or creating one. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Not isolation, but ideological export Trump's Maga doctrine is not the return of American isolationism. It is something more erratic and, in many ways, more destabilising. It abandons traditional alliances and commitments but replaces them not with quiet withdrawal, but with symbolic posturing, bombast and unsolicited commentary on the moral fibre of other nations. In Trump's second term, the contradiction is sharper than ever. He tells Americans that foreign wars are not their concern, yet cannot resist the temptation to intervene rhetorically, claim victories, assign blame and positions himself as the indispensable figure on the world stage. This is not a coherent foreign policy. It is a compulsive need to be at the centre of all things global — an America that refuses to lead with responsibility but cannot bear to be left out of the conversation. The Maga movement may talk about pulling back, but in reality, it is more invested in foreign affairs than ever — just not in any way that promotes stability or truth.
Middle East Eye
a day ago
- Politics
- Middle East Eye
Report: Third US-Israeli aid centre to begin operating today
The third aid centre backed by the US and Israel will be opening up on Thursday in central Gaza, south of the Netzarim Corridor, according to Israel's Army Radio. The new distribution centre will provide food and humanitarian aid to 300,000 Palestinians every week and aims to push people from Gaza City and the northern part of the Strip to evacuate south, the report said. The UN and international humanitarian groups criticise the US-Israeli aid centres run by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, saying that the foundation weaponises aid.
Middle East Eye
2 days ago
- Politics
- Middle East Eye
Outrage as Netanyahu says no mass starvation in Gaza, suggests Palestinians are overweight
Social media users have slammed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu after he insisted that international accusations that Israel is using food as a weapon of war in Gaza are 'a lie', and suggested that Palestinians in the besieged enclave were overweight. Speaking at the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance conference in Jerusalem on Tuesday, Netanyahu said Palestinians in Gaza were not experiencing mass starvation "at all". "We take thousands of prisoners, sort them out into civilians and combatants, and we photograph them... The first thing you do is you tell them, 'Take your shirt off. We want to see that there is no suicide vest.'.. and you don't see one, not one emaciated from the beginning of the war to the present," he said. "In fact, you see quite the opposite because you don't get that much exercise, certainly not in tunnels, but you get food." Clips from the premier's speech spread rapidly online. New MEE newsletter: Jerusalem Dispatch Sign up to get the latest insights and analysis on Israel-Palestine, alongside Turkey Unpacked and other MEE newsletters "Netanyahu's claims are a shocking denial of reality," one person said. "While Palestinians in Gaza are dying from hunger due to Israel's blockade, he absurdly talks about detainees being overweight." A master of cruelty dressed in a suit—Netanyahu speaks with the callousness of someone who sees suffering as spectacle. To deny starvation while orchestrating siege is not just inhuman, it's diabolical. This isn't leadership—it's moral rot in motion. — The Radical Portion of Quiet (@MilitaryR54316) May 28, 2025 The United Nations and international organisations have repeatedly warned of extreme hunger and the risk of imminent famine in Gaza due to Israel's blocking of aid and humanitarian assistance since the start of the war in October 2023. Since 2 March, Israel has enforced a total blockade of aid, medical, food and fuel supplies, which led to the entirety of Gaza's population being at "critical risk" of famine, according to UN experts. Dozens of children have died due to starvation. The UN and major international humanitarian organisations have also criticised a controversial new US-Israeli aid distribution system as inadequate and a violation of humanitarian principles. "Netanyahu speaks with the callousness of someone who sees suffering as a spectacle," posted another social media user. "To deny starvation while orchestrating a siege is not just inhuman, it's diabolical." Another said:'The only thing that's new here is the admission. This has been the Israeli MO forever'. Others highlighted what they termed Netanyahu's "boasting" of imprisoning thousands of Palestinian civilians and photographing them after making them remove their clothing. Netanyahu admitting here that Israel takes thousands and thousands of civilians as prisoners. — Fahad Ansari 🇵🇸 (Stop the Gaza genocide) (@fahadansari) May 28, 2025 "What kind of leadership boasts about photographing detainees naked to 'prove' they're well-fed?" asked one person. Another said: "He's basically saying that he's taken CIVILIANS as hostages, stripped them of their dignity, studied them in prison labs and made conclusions about them." 'Israel is desperate' In his speech, Netanyahu also took aim at the international pro-Palestinian protest movement, which he labelled "antisemitic" and a threat to civilisation. He called on Israel's allies - including Canada, France, the US and UK - to stand against what he termed 'antisemitic virulence'. "The people who are leading this charge are basically challenging western civilization or free societies as we understand them," he said. "Israel is fighting [a war of] civilisation against barbarism." Several social media users interpreted his words as an attack on free speech and a threat against pro-Palestinian advocates in western countries. One social media user said Netanyahu "put a target on the back of every EU and westerner who opposes the genocide in Gaza", while another said: "Israel officially declared war on us'. Netanyahu's comments that frame Israel's war on Gaza as a fight for 'western civilisation' also come after the recent unprecedented threat of sanctions from the UK, France and Canada, which marked a dramatic shift in policy for all three countries that have been key backers of Israel. Israel's desperate. They have a collapsing economy, a war of attrition with war crimes and genocidal intent being spewed and recorded every day. International pressure is mounting to end the genocide and he still needs to save his skin from going to prison — 𝙻𝚘𝚛𝚜 (@Lors1Lo) May 28, 2025 Therefore, some interpreted the leader's speech as a sign that international pressure campaigns against Israel have shown some success. "Israel is desperate," said one social media user. Another added: 'guilt-tripping manipulative speech - allies aren't buying it anymore. Enjoy diplomatic isolation'.
Scoop
2 days ago
- Politics
- Scoop
UN Aid Teams Plead For Access Amid Reports Gazans Shot Collecting Food
Unverified footage from Rafah where the privately-run but Israeli military-supported Gaza Humanitarian Foundation is based showed scenes of panic with crowds of people rushing in different directions, while others carried away boxes of supplies. The UN human rights office, OHCHR, said that it had received information that at least 47 people had been hurt on Tuesday trying to collect aid. Those numbers could increase as information on the incident is still being gathered, said Ajith Sunghay, Head of OHCHR in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, speaking to journalists in Geneva on Wednesday. ' From January to March 2024, our office has documented 26 incidents where the Israel Defense Forces fired shots while people were collecting humanitarian aid, causing casualties at Al Kuwaiti roundabout and Al Naburasi roundabout,' Mr. Sunghay told UN News. Gaza 'crime scene' grows daily The situation in Gaza has reached unprecedented levels of devastation, with widespread displacement, starvation and destruction, said Jonathan Whittall on Wednesday, who's heads up UN aid coordination office, OCHA, for the Occupied Palestinian Territory. ' With each day that passes, Gaza is becoming a bigger and bigger crime scene,' Mr. Whittall warned, citing starvation, attacks on hospitals, aid worker deaths and entire communities displaced. 'Nowhere is safe. People are being starved and then drip-fed in the most undignified way possible.' He added the trickle of aid entering Gaza is 'far from enough' to meet basic needs, highlighting severe restrictions on aid delivery, with UN teams only allowed to distribute flour to bakeries and not to families directly. 'There must be accountability,' he stressed, urging political and economic pressure to end what he described as ongoing atrocities in Gaza. New aid model 'a grotesque symbol' He said the US-Israeli distribution scheme was "engineered scarcity: four distribution hubs located in central and southern Gaza, secured by private US security contractors, where those Palestinians who can reach them will receive rations." Mr. Whittall added that it could not possibly meet Gaza's needs. " Knowingly designing a plan that falls short of minimum obligations under international law, is essentially an admission of guilt." Locating the new aid model close to where Israeli forces killed and buried 15 mass responders earlier in the year is a "grotesque symbol of how life in Gaza, and that which sustains it, is being erased and controlled,' he said. No evidence of Hamas aid diversion Israel's claim that UN and partners' aid is being diverted by Hamas 'doesn't hold up to scrutiny,' he added. 'Aid coordinated through the UN system made up for 35 per cent of what entered during the ceasefire. We have no oversight on those supplies which were facilitated to enter by Israel through other channels. " The real theft of aid since the beginning of the war has been carried out by criminal gangs, under the watch of Israeli forces, and they were allowed to operate in proximity to the Kerem Shalom crossing point into Gaza' Renewed appeal for aid access Meanwhile, UN aid teams have continued to appeal to Israel for access to Gaza to deliver and distribute thousands of tonnes of food, medicine and other basic items waiting just outside Gaza. Jens Laerke from the UN agency OCHA insisted that the its staff have 'everything needed to get aid to civilians safely: the people, the networks and the trust' of Gazans. ' Right now, nearly 180,000 pallets of food and other life-saving aid stand ready to enter Gaza, the hungriest place on earth,' he told UN News. 'The supplies have already been paid for by the world's donors. It is cleared for customs, approved and ready to move. We can get the aid in – immediately, at scale and for as long as necessary.' 50,000 kids killed or injured In a related development, UNICEF announced that the war in Gaza has killed or injured more than 50,000 children in less than 600 days. UNICEF spokesperson Tess Ingram said that since the ceasefire ended on 18 March, approximately 1,300 children have been killed and 3,700 injured alone. That number is enough children to fill more than 1,600 classrooms, Ms. Ingram told UN News: 'Every one of these children is in life. A child with a family, with hopes for the future," she said. "And yet we continue to count their deaths and live stream their suffering to the world. This must end immediately. She added: " The children of Gaza desperately need protection from these ongoing bombardments, as well as food, water, medicine and other basic supplies that they need to survive. The blockade must end. Aid must flow freely and at scale, and more than anything else, we need a ceasefire we need collective action to stop these atrocities and to protect children.' The UNICEF official's comments follow an attack on a home last weekend that reportedly killed nine out of 10 siblings of one family, the Al-Najars; all the victims were 12 years old or younger.
Egypt Independent
2 days ago
- Politics
- Egypt Independent
‘It haunts me daily:' Freed Israeli hostages fear for those still held captive by Hamas
Gazit, Israel CNN — Keith Siegel has been free for nearly four months, but he is still pained by vivid images of his 484 days as a Hamas hostage and of those still held in Gaza's tunnels. 'It haunts me daily,' Siegel, a dual US-Israeli citizen, told CNN. 'Everything that they're experiencing is very difficult for me to think about. I can't get those thoughts out of my mind.' Siegel isn't just talking about the physical and psychological abuse he was subjected to by his captors or the suffocating conditions and malnutrition he faced in tunnels deep underground. He's also terrified that Israel's intensifying bombardment and ground offensive will kill the remaining living hostages – or drive Hamas to execute them. Hamas and other militant groups kidnapped 251 people from Israel during the October 7, 2023 terror attacks. As Israel marks 600 days since the war began, Siegel and dozens of former hostages and relatives are renewing their call for a deal that will end the conflict and secure the release of all 58 still held captive, living and dead. Protesters blocked roads in Tel Aviv on Wednesday and gathered in Hostage Square and in front of the US embassy to put pressure on the Israeli government to make a deal with Hamas and return the remaining hostages. Omer Shem Tov is welcomed during his arrival at Logan Airport in Boston, on May 15. Charles Krupa/AP For Omer Shem Tov, among the last of the hostages to be released before the ceasefire collapsed in March, there is an ever-present feeling of guilt. Every time he eats, he thinks about the hostages not eating. Every time he showers, he knows those still captive in Gaza cannot. 'I can feel it here,' he says, pointing at his throat. 'I feel like I'm being choked.' Like many other released hostages, Siegel and Shem Tov have dedicated much of their newfound freedom to advocating for the release of those left behind. Shem Tov, 22, considers the hostages his brothers and sisters, after everything they have endured. 'I will fight for my family,' he told CNN. 'They're going through hell. And time is critical.' Most of the Israeli public wants to see a ceasefire deal to bring the remaining hostages home, according to numerous polls, but as those who survived captivity, the freed hostages are the movement's most powerful voices. They see their advocacy as a near-sacred obligation to those still in Gaza. 'The hostages' lives are now more critical than eliminating Hamas,' said Shem Tov. An Israeli military helicopter transporting Omer Shem Tov lands at Beilinson Schneider medical complex in Petah Tikva, Israel, on February 22, following Shem Tov's and fellow hostage Eliya Cohen's release from Hamas captivity. Ilia Yefimovich/Picture Alliance/DPA/AP Meanwhile, Siegel has raised awareness about the horrific conditions of captivity he endured and the dangers the remaining hostages face. Speaking from his daughter's home in northern Israel, Siegel looked healthier than when he was released in February. He has regained some of the weight he lost in captivity, color has returned to his face and he has been spending time with his family and out in nature. But his mind is never far from the tunnels of Gaza and thoughts of Matan Angrest, a 22-year-old Israeli soldier, and Omri Miran, a 48-year-old father-of-two, with whom he was held. 'I think about them every day. Many times a day. And I worry about them – and I miss them,' Siegel said. Siegel and Miran were held together for nearly five months, until July 2024, passing the time by talking about their shared taste in music and their love for their families. Miran has two daughters – Alma and Ronni, now aged 2 and 4 – whose names easily rolled off Siegel's tongue. 'It was very difficult for Omri to think about his daughters growing up without their dad and how hard it was for him to think about him missing their growing-up, their development milestones,' Siegel said. Miran called out directly to Siegel in a hostage video released by Hamas last month. Siegel said his fellow former captive looked like 'a different person… in a negative way.' Aviva Siegel and Keith Siegel attend a protest calling for the end of the war and the release of the remaining hostages at Hostages' Square in Tel Aviv, on March 18. Gil Cohen-Magen/AFP/Getty Images Siegel hesitates to describe his relationship with Angrest as one of a father and his son, but it's clear they built a special bond during the 67 days they were locked in a very small room, sharing a single bed. Angrest helped Siegel improve his Arabic, talked about his love of the Maccabi Haifa soccer team and day-dreamt about sharing a meal together at his parents' home and seeing a match once they're free. Siegel said he, Angrest and Miran used to pray that the Israeli military would rescue them in a daring operation. But that all changed in August when Hamas executed six hostages as Israeli troops closed in on their location. Siegel learned about it in captivity and his dreams quickly turned into nightmares. 'I was afraid that the IDF might try to rescue me and that I might be killed by the captors,' Siegel recalled. 'It's something that worries me in regards to the hostages that are still there.' He added that he believes Israel's expanding military operations now increase the threats to the hostages' lives, even as the Israeli military has pledged to take precautions to avoid harming the remaining captives. 'Hostages were killed from the war,' Siegel said. 'I think this can be avoided by getting all of the hostages back. That's the solution, to get them back – to reach an agreement that will bring them back.' People watch as smoke billows into the sky, following an Israeli strike in Jabalia, in the northern Gaza Strip on May 25. Bashar Taleb/AFP/Getty Images Shem Tov echoed his fears. The scariest moments in captivity, he said, were when Israeli bombs fell around him, weapons he knew were powerful enough where 'your life can be taken in every moment.' 'I was scared of dying from my own people, from my own brothers,' said Shem Tov. Siegel and Shem Tov have met with US President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and called on both to prioritize reaching a deal to free the hostages. While the Israeli prime minister has made clear he believes defeating Hamas is more important than freeing the hostages, many hostage advocates are placing their hopes in Trump's hands. 'I am home because of his efforts,' Siegel said. 'I believe that he wants to do this and it's important to him. He has told us that. I ask him to do whatever he can and to do it as soon as possible to get an agreement secured and to get them all back.' President Donald Trump speaks next to Keith Siegel and Aviva Siegel during the National Republican Congressional Committee dinner at the National Building Museum in Washington, DC, on April 8. Nathan Howard/Reuters Shem Tov also believed he was freed because of Trump's efforts. During their meeting in the Oval Office at the White House in March, Shem Tov said Trump told him 'that I have a good future ahead of me.' Shem Tov lost most than 50 pounds in captivity, he said. His food dwindled from just two pitas and some cheese daily at the beginning to a single biscuit. However, he said his treatment at the hands of Hamas improved after Trump's election, including receiving more food. Hamas also 'stopped cursing me, stopped spitting on me,' he said. He frequently talked politics with his captors and said they wanted Kamala Harris to win the US election. 'As soon as Donald Trump was elected, they understood that he wants to bring the hostages back home,' Shem Tov said.
