The day after the Israeli-American attack on Iran and the killing of Ayatollah Khomeini, I couldn’t help falling into a self-introspective mood.
Looking back at history, I thought to myself, wasn’t the world always better off when there were many little rogue-nations that nevertheless minded their own business and backyards than now, in sad contrast, when we have just one big beast of a rogue-nation, prowling with about 800 miltary bases nearly everywhere around the world, wanting to mind and meddle into everyone’s business.
If a big power hegemon like America behaves as it has done with impunity just now in Iran and Venezuela, and just as it did in the history of last 80 years — in Korea, Vietnam, Latin America, Iraq, Libya, Syria, Georgia, Ukraine — with scant respect for both the US Constitution and the UN Charter , the world will have to just kiss goodbye to anything called a World Order . We can all go back to the Law of the Jungle : Might is Right and US Might must always be right.
What I say above is neither rhetoric nor about big power geo-strategy. It’s plain common sense .
The US has intervened in numerous conflicts over the past 80 years, often without full congressional approval or UN endorsement:
• Korea (1950s): UN-backed initially, but escalated beyond mandate.
• Vietnam (1960s-70s): No UN role; Gulf of Tonkin Resolution later deemed misleading.
• Latin America (e.g., Chile 1973, Grenada 1983): CIA-backed coups or invasions, ignoring self-determination.
• Iraq (2003): No UN resolution for invasion; WMD claims debunked.
• Libya (2011): NATO exceeded UN no-fly zone.
• Recent cases (Syria, Venezuela, Iran sanctions): Drones, regime-change rhetoric, and sanctions without broad multilateral buy-in.
The US Congressional Research Service shows over 200 US military actions since 1945, with fewer than 20% fully UN-authorized.
America’s impunity stems from veto power in the UN Security Council and military dominance (US defense budget: ~$877B in 2024, per SIPRI, vs. next 10 nations of the world combined).
The doctrine of “might is right” only invites chaos to the world :
Common sense tells us that deterrence relies on credibility. If the hegemon flouts rules, others will follow.
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American interventions (meddling) in all countries of the world is founded on the cardinal self-belief in what it boasts of as “American exceptionalism” rooted in 19th-century manifest destiny and post-WWII leadership spawned by the Monroe Doctrine. Calling American Exceptionalism as a “recipe for endless conflicts” would not be baseless:
Since 1945, the US initiated or joined ~250 military actions (CRS data), costing 7M+ lives globally (Costs of War Project, Brown University).
US also fits the UN definition criteria of “Rogue state” (e.g., UN definitions: threats to peace, aggression) … Iraq 2003 and now Iran in 2026.
Bush Sr.’s 1990 phrase implied US-led unipolarity, and led to endless wars (Afghanistan: 20 years, $2T+, ISIS from Iraq chaos, Taliban resurgence.. a few examples.
US vetoed 50+ UNSC resolutions on Israel since 1972 (UN data), while sanctioning 30+ nations. Clearly double standard inviting accusations of hypocrisy.
Yet, it’s not uniquely American—Russia (Georgia, Ukraine), China (Taiwan threats), and others play similar games.
“American Exceptionalism” is today championed and perpetuated according to the “Neocon Playbook” first conceived as the Wolfowitz Doctrine (1992). It was he who laid down the 11th Commandment in American Foreign Policy: Thou shalt never tolerate peer rivals. And that’s what led to Iraq/Libya chaos; and 2026 Iran hawks (Pompeo echoes) who know push regime change.
Then to further affirm and realise the Monroe, Wolfowitz and Pompeo Doctrines, there is the Oligarch Fuel: Lockheed/Raytheon lobby $100M+/year; Ukraine aid ($175B) which both loop profits back to the oligarch-neocon network.
Why cant the big powers agree on spheres of influence in the world and then live and let live so everyone, all nations in the world, can mind their own business and stop meddling in each other’s backyard ?
Spheres of influence sound like a pragmatic truce—US takes Americas, Russia its near abroad, China East Asia, India South Asia, and everyone stays in their lane. It’s the “live and let live” Westphalian ethos from 19th-century Europe (e.g., Concert of Europe post-Napoleon).
Alas, big powers can’t commit because trust deficits, ambition, and globalisation make backyards overlap irreversibly. Past betrayals linger.
No one believes rivals will honor borders:
US violated post-WWII norms (Iraq, Libya); Russia grabbed Crimea (2014); China eyes Taiwan/Senkakus.
Spheres worked only in bipolar Cold War (Yalta 1945: US/Europe, USSR/Eastern bloc), but today’s multipolarity breeds paranoia—US fears Chinese ports in Pakistan (Gwadar), Russia dreads NATO in Ukraine.
John Mearsheimer writes that Great Powers expand by nature (echoing Thucydides: fear + honor + interest):
• US: Trump-era “Monroe Doctrine 2.0” claims Western Hemisphere but stations 100K+ troops in Europe/Asia—won’t cede Indo-Pacific to China.
• China: BRI ($1T+) weaves economic tentacles worldwide, not just Asia.
• Russia: Putin demands “privileged interests” beyond borders, but using the energy leverage it pulls it weight globally.
Hegemons meddle for resources (oil, rare earths), alliances, or prestige—no fire wall can ever stop that.
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Sudarshan Madabushi