Paul Murphy: US Debate a Sign of US Imperialism’s Decline
Paul Murphy criticised the US presidential debate as a spectacle and a reflection of what he called the decline of US imperialism. He argued both candidates failed on truth and policy and warned of the consequences for Palestine and wider international politics.
Reaction to the US debate
Murphy described the debate as a spectacle and a microcosm of decline in US power. He said one candidate was a "congenital liar" and a hard authoritarian right politician, while the other was an "extreme establishment" figure who could not coherently argue and who continued to fund Israeli actions in Palestine.
On Palestine and the ceasefire debate
Murphy highlighted surprising agreement in the debate on Palestine while noting how the word "Palestinian" was used as an insult and went unchallenged. He said Trump and Biden effectively blamed different actors for the lack of a ceasefire, and he criticised continued support for actions amounting to genocide against Palestinians.
Call for a different politics
Murphy argued the problem is structural rather than personal, calling for an alternative to a "profit-based system" he said depends on exploitation, environmental destruction, racism and support for genocide. He said many ordinary people want a credible alternative to the two-party arrangements offered in the US electoral cycle.
Government reply and foreign policy remarks
In response, the Taoiseach said he avoids commenting on other countries' elections and emphasised an independent foreign policy. The Taoiseach referenced the country's decision to recognise the state of Palestine, voting and statements at international fora, and thanked former Senator George Mitchell for his role in the peace process.
Efforts on a ceasefire and EU position
The Taoiseach reported a recent call with President Biden and said there is intense behind-the-scenes work aimed at bringing about a ceasefire, with the immediate cessation of violence as the principal focus. He also noted that, on the association agreement, the country remains a holder of a minority opinion at European level but continues to maintain that position.
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I don't know if the Taoiseach watched the US presidential debate last week, it was a spectacle, a spectacle that I think in many ways is like a microcosm of the death agony of the decline of US imperialism. You had on the one hand a man who is a congenital liar who couldn't basically open his mouth without telling a lie, a sexual abuser, a hard authoritarian right politician, a man who encouraged an insurrection after losing the last election, facing off against a democratic party extreme establishment politician who could not coherently string a sentence or an argument together, and a man who continues to fund Israeli genocide against the Palestinians. It's no wonder that the democratic party establishment or parts of it are scrambling to see if Biden can be moved aside and an alternative can be put in place and many ordinary American people are hoping that a credible alternative to Trump can be offered at the next election. But ultimately this doesn't come down to personality, it comes down to politics. It was striking the agreement in the debate on the question of Palestine. In fact, Trump criticised Biden for Biden saying the reason that there isn't a ceasefire is because of Hamas. And Trump actually told the truth and said, well, it's not because of Hamas, it's because of Israel, but actually he was supporting Israel going on. The word Palestinian was used as an insult with nobody challenging it by Trump against Biden. What is needed is an alternative to this profit-based system based on exploitation, based on environmental destruction, based on racism and based on support for genocide. Well, I did see, I did indeed see the debate of the two US presidential candidates. I have a policy of not commenting on elections in other countries, rather than to say that it was a very early stage, I suppose, of the electoral cycle to have the debate for an election that is taking place in November. I think it might have been the earliest presidential debate to take place so far. And look, our foreign policy is an independent foreign policy. I mean, we will continue at every fora to speak our views on international issues, whether that was our decision to recognise the state of Palestine when others probably would have preferred us not to. Whether that's, you know, how we vote at the UN, how we speak at the European Council, how we vote at Council of Ministers, we'll continue to speak up for international law and in favour of human rights. To Deputy O'Muricu, I want to, I think it's important you acknowledge the US support, the very key role that they played in the peace process. I had the chance to thank former Senator George Mitchell, one of the architects of that work when he visited me in my office in recent weeks as well. Well, did I get some hope from the call is a very fair question. I mean, the thing that I definitely did leave the call with President Biden with was a clear understanding on the intensity of work that's going on in the background to try and bring about a ceasefire. And there's a whole range of vital issues that need to be discussed around the Middle East. But the most important thing is an immediate cessation of violence. And that, I think, is where the focus must be on. And on the association agreement, I don't want to mislead you. We're still the holder of a minority opinion at a European level in relation to that. But we continue to maintain that position.
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