Reacting sharply to the recently released National Security Strategy of the United States, Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI) National General Secretary Mohammad Ilyas Thumbe alleged that the document is an open declaration of Washington’s intent to establish military and economic dominance over the world. He said the stated objective of the strategy—“to ensure that America remains the world’s strongest, richest, most powerful and most successful country for decades to come”—poses a serious threat to global peace.
According to Ilyas Thumbe, it is natural for any nation to aspire to progress and leadership, but the manner in which the United States is pursuing this goal is what is making the world increasingly insecure. He alleged that instead of policies based on mutual cooperation and peaceful coexistence, the US relies on coercion, economic exploitation and the use of military force.
He said this approach is not new. Despite its formal commitment to the principles of the United Nations Charter, the United States has, for decades, destabilised its critics and adversaries through unilateral actions. From Patrice Lumumba in Africa to Salvador Allende in Chile and Saddam Hussein in Iraq, Thumbe claimed the US played a role in removing leaders it perceived as acting against its interests. He further alleged that methods such as assassinations and poisoning were used to target leaders included on the CIA’s purported hit lists.
Referring to West Asia, Thumbe said that in order to safeguard Israel’s interests and maintain regional hegemony, the United States has kept countries such as Iran, Iraq, Syria and Lebanon in prolonged states of instability. This, he said, has resulted in widespread humanitarian crises, massive refugee flows and a situation amounting to genocide in Gaza. Citing Afghanistan and Vietnam, he added that these countries too paid a heavy price for US policies.
On the Ukraine war, Thumbe said the United States initially provided military assistance to Ukraine but later derailed a potential peace agreement facilitated by Türkiye, along with other Western powers. Now, as the war enters its fourth year, he alleged that Washington is pressuring Ukraine to adopt a “realistic” stance and effectively concede to Russia.
Speaking on NATO and Western Europe, he said the US had for years urged its allies to increase defence spending. However, when European countries complied, American leadership—particularly former President Donald Trump—labelled them “weak” and “decadent.” According to Thumbe, if Western leadership appears weak today, responsibility also lies with the United States, which long projected itself as the “leader of the free world.”
In conclusion, Thumbe said that Western countries which jointly exploited the world for decades are now increasingly at odds with one another, further aggravating global insecurity. He called on the rest of the world to unite to protect its interests and to seek alternatives to the politics of war and domination.
