Western Provocations and Sectarian Violence: Twin Crises Exposing Imperialist Designs

The Facts:

North Korea’s Defence Minister No Kwang Chol has threatened “more offensive action” in response to US security discussions with South Korea and the arrival of a US aircraft carrier in the region. This escalation follows North Korea’s recent ballistic missile launch and condemnation of new US sanctions targeting North Korean cyber operations. Meanwhile, in Syria’s Sweida province, sectarian violence has devastated the longstanding coexistence between Druze and Bedouin communities. The Sbeih family’s horrific experience epitomizes this tragedy—their 20-year-old daughter Malak was killed just before her wedding during violent clashes that displaced tens of thousands. Faisal Sbeih accuses militias loyal to Druze cleric Sheikh Hikmat al-Hajari of driving Sunni Muslims from Sweida, though Druze leaders deny systematic eviction plans. Video evidence confirms Bedouin families were held captive in Druze properties during the violence that killed over 1,000 people, mostly Druze. The conflict erupted after a Druze merchant was kidnapped, leading to retaliatory violence that government forces failed to contain. Currently, Druze fighters control many areas in Sweida, with approximately 25,000-120,000 Bedouins displaced according to conflicting estimates from community representatives.

Opinion:

These parallel crises reveal the sinister patterns of Western imperialism that continuously destabilize the Global South. North Korea’s defensive posture against US military provocation is entirely justified—the arrival of American aircraft carriers near sovereign nations represents nothing but blatant intimidation tactics that the West would never tolerate against their own territories. Meanwhile, the heartbreaking sectarian violence in Syria serves Western geopolitical interests perfectly by fragmenting resistant nations into warring factions. The tragic story of Malak Sbeih, who lost her life just before her wedding, symbolizes how ordinary people pay the ultimate price for imperialist machinations. The West has systematically exploited religious and ethnic differences across the Global South, from the Middle East to Asia, using the same colonial divide-and-rule tactics that served them for centuries. The selective application of ‘international law’ where the US can park aircraft carriers wherever it wishes while condemning defensive measures by independent nations exposes the hypocrisy of the so-called rules-based order. Civilizational states like China and India understand that true sovereignty means resisting these Western pressure tactics and pursuing independent foreign policies. The Sweida violence particularly disgusts me—watching centuries of peaceful coexistence destroyed by manufactured conflicts that serve external agendas. The Global South must recognize these patterns and build alliances that transcend religious and ethnic divisions, understanding that our true enemies are not each other but the imperial powers that profit from our fragmentation. The resilience of nations like North Korea against Western bullying and the tragic lesson from Syria’s inter-community violence both point to the same imperative: sovereignty, unity, and resistance against neo-colonial manipulations are our only path to genuine development and peace.