Ghassan Salamé, professor of international relations at Sciences Po, Minister of Culture of Lebanon and a United Nations diplomat, is the author of a new essay, The Temptation of Mars: War and Peace in the 21st Centurymy century, published in March (Fayard, 392 pages, 25 euros, digital 17 euros).
Deregulation of force, impotence of multilateralism, weakening of the United States: has not the war that has been raging in Gaza for almost a year concentrated the dysfunctions of the world, which you take stock of in your latest work?
Gaza is an important case of deregulation of force, a kind of deluge of fire that followed the unprecedented action of October 7, 2023. We are witnessing a total ignorance of humanitarian law, a disproportionate use of force and confirmation of what we already know: in the conflicts of the 21st centurymy century, the vast majority of victims are civilians. As for the impotence of the United Nations, it confirms what people too often forget: this organization is a set of institutions, more or less interlinked, each of which operates according to its own culture. Some have become essential in supporting major tragedies, such as the World Food Programme or the Office of the High Commissioner for Refugees. Despite the paralysis of the Security Council and the general political climate, these bodies continue to function in accordance with the missions assigned to them.
Is this the case for the agency that deals specifically with Palestinian refugees, UNRWA?
Of course. I am not sure that the campaign against her was anything but political. Very quickly, the states that were complacent about the Israeli position [qui a accusé l’agence onusienne d’employer plus de « 450 terroristes »]Especially the Western countries, understood that the situation in Gaza was dramatic and would be even more dramatic without UNRWA.
How do you view Washington’s position in this conflict?
The United States has shown the same permissiveness towards the Jewish State since the presidency of Harry Truman [1945-1953]. They did not demonstrate to the Israeli authorities that they were prepared to use the “stick” by stopping their arms deliveries. On the contrary, President Biden signed [en avril] The bill that gives Israel more than 14 billion dollars [12,7 milliards d’euros] as part of an international aid package [comprenant aussi l’Ukraine et Taïwan].Despite the gravity of the situation in Gaza, I believe that what is happening there is an illusion.
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