EDITORIAL

By: Omar Silva

Editor: National Perspective Bz DIGITAL 2024

www.nationalperspectivebz.com

Belize City, 10th November 2024

Justice, in its truest form, is about fairness, equity, and the impartial upholding of laws that protect every person’s rights. Yet, looking around today’s world, justice appears to be increasingly distorted, manipulated to favor certain powers while leaving entire nations and populations on the margins. As we observe global politics today, we must question who truly holds the scales of justice and demand an end to double standards that define the global order.

The role of international institutions, especially the United Nations, was once to stand above the powerful, to arbitrate fairly, and to ensure peace. But have these organizations lost their way? The UN’s International Court of Justice (ICJ), for instance, was created to resolve disputes without bias, to be a last recourse for justice when national interests overwhelm reason. However, it too has seemed, at times, powerless—or worse, unwilling—to act where action is needed. Can we trust these institutions to uphold justice, or have they become tools of convenience for the powerful?

Since the 1944 Bretton Woods Conference, the United States has effectively defined much of the global order. With its unmatched economic clout and military presence, the U.S. has dictated who receives aid, who suffers sanctions, and even which countries are allowed a voice on the world stage. This unilateral dominance—justified as necessary to “police” the world—has also led to proxy conflicts, where nations that disagree with the U.S. or its allies are labeled threats. Those nations are often marginalized, sanctioned, and destabilized, while others acting in clear defiance of international law are given carte blanche.

Nowhere is this more apparent than in the situation between Israel and Palestine. Israel, with the robust backing of the United States, occupies land not only in Palestine but also in Lebanon and Syria. The result? Thousands upon thousands of civilian casualties, the erasure of entire communities, and an outcry that has been met with silence—or even support—from those in power. When does “self-defense” become aggression? When does “security” turn into occupation? It’s time to confront these questions and recognize that justice cannot be selective. Any definition of justice that allows the powerful to perpetuate violence unchecked is a corruption of the concept itself.

And now, the world is changing. BRICS—an alliance of Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa—has begun to challenge the United States’ economic dominance, forging the path for a multipolar world. This shift is a demand for justice, a call to end the tyranny of unilateral power. A multipolar world brings the possibility of a balanced global order, one that is shaped by diverse nations and respects each nation’s sovereignty. Yet, those who stand to lose influence in this emerging order will undoubtedly resist, attempting to preserve the old-world order where power, not justice, dictated action.

The UN has a critical role to play in this transition. But to truly uphold justice, the UN must undergo substantial reform. We must strip permanent Security Council members of veto power that allows them to block resolutions based on their own interests. We need to expand the representation of voices from every corner of the world—not only as token seats but as genuine power in shaping global policy. And we must ensure that the International Court of Justice can act without fear or favor, independent of powerful nations.

This shift is more than a political debate; it is a call to humanity, to stand up for a world that respects all nations, that condemns violence wherever it arises, and that treats every person with the dignity they deserve. The emerging multipolar world order offers a chance for true peace and tranquility—a system where no single nation holds the power to control others through economic sanctions, proxy wars, or political coercion.

Justice that favors only the powerful is no justice at all. Now is the time for people across the globe to demand an end to double standards, to support reforms that elevate the United Nations as an institution for all—not just a few—and to champion the shift toward a multipolar world order. We stand at the brink of a new era, one where justice may finally be just. But it will only happen if we demand it, loudly, and without fear.