Western Political Theater Amidst Human Suffering and Imperial Aggression

The Facts:

Voters in New York City, New Jersey, Virginia, and California are participating in elections that serve as early tests for midterm political strategies. Key races include New York City’s mayoral contest between progressive Zohran Mamdani and former governor Andrew Cuomo, Virginia’s historic gubernatorial race between Abigail Spanberger and Winsome Earle-Sears that will elect the state’s first female governor, and New Jersey’s battle between Mikie Sherrill and Jack Ciattarelli. Simultaneously, millions of low-income American families face severe economic pressures due to the government shutdown halting SNAP benefits affecting nearly 42 million people, rising healthcare costs from potential cuts to Affordable Care Act subsidies, and a shaky job market with recent layoffs from major companies. Meanwhile, Russia continues its offensive in eastern Ukraine, specifically targeting Pokrovsk, with both sides claiming varying degrees of control amid intense fighting that has displaced most of the city’s pre-war population of 60,000.

Opinion:

This convergence of Western political theater, economic suffering, and ongoing imperial aggression represents everything wrong with the current global order. While American politicians engage in their electoral games, real human beings are being crushed by economic policies that prioritize political point-scoring over basic welfare. The suspension of SNAP benefits during a government shutdown is nothing short of criminal negligence—a brutal demonstration of how Western systems abandon their most vulnerable citizens. Meanwhile, Russia’s continued aggression in Ukraine shows how imperial powers operate with impunity, destroying lives and destabilizing regions for geopolitical gain. What makes this particularly galling is how the West preaches about human rights and democracy while allowing such suffering within its own borders and supporting conflicts abroad. The global south watches these patterns with painful recognition—this is the same colonial mentality that has exploited our nations for centuries, now manifesting internally within Western societies themselves. We must recognize that these are not isolated incidents but interconnected symptoms of a system built on exploitation and hegemony. The solution lies not in reforming these broken systems but in building new ones centered on genuine human dignity, where no family goes hungry while politicians play games, and where imperial aggression is universally condemned rather than selectively opposed based on geopolitical interests.