Misplaced Morality

Spain’s outright refusal to endorse the United States-Israel military assault on Iran exposes a burning issue: Whose rules govern the so-called ‘global order’?

- 

As confrontation escalates in the Middle East due to the United States-Israel military action against Iran, Spain has chosen an unusual path in Western politics

The world usually celebrates Spain for football. When its national team triumphs, the plazas of Madrid and Barcelona erupt into colour and sound, a joyous spectacle broadcast around the world. This time, though, Spain is making headlines for something far more consequential than a sporting victory. As confrontation escalates in the Middle East due to the United States-Israel military action against Iran, Spain has chosen an unusual path in Western politics. Dissent. Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez has outright rejected the unilateral military action by Washington and Tel Aviv, refusing to allow US forces to use jointly operated bases in Rota and Mor6n for strikes on Iran. He has also (sl)iced the war cake by warning that such actions violate the principles of international law.

The Spanish Prime Minister's message has been blunt. “No to war,’ Sanchez insisted, saying the world cannot respond to illegality with more illegality, and that conflicts cannot be solved through bombs. Spain's position is not an endorsement of Iran’s regime. Sanchez himself has condemned Tehran's repression and regional actions. But he has drawn a distinction between opposing a government and supporting a war against it.

That distinction, sadly, has become a rare commodity in Western diplomacy. In the drama unfolding around Iran, what stands exposed is not just a military standoff - it is the widening gap between the bombastic rhetoric of a ‘rules-based international order’ and the way that order is enforced.

Complicated Reality