But neither the denial by U.S. media outlets nor the Biden and Trump administrations’ defense of Israel’s far-right government in the face of a growing international consensus that it is committing genocide are unprecedented. The U.S. response to Israeli war crimes is neither unique nor unexpected. Since emerging as a global superpower, the United States has repeatedly denied, downplayed and covered up for atrocities committed by allies using American weaponry, blocked efforts to end violence through vetoes at the U.N. and attacked international legal institutions and human rights organizations for seeking accountability under international humanitarian law.
Such policies have obvious moral implications, but they also harm international humanitarian law in general and U.S. credibility in challenging genocidal violence in Darfur, Myanmar and elsewhere. If the United States, which played such a major role in the creation of the Genocide Convention and other foundations of international law, continues to be seen as an accomplice to genocide, it will make it all the more difficult to prevent new genocides in the future.
In 1971, Bangladeshis launched a war of independence against the Pakistani regime of General Yahya Khan, following his rejection of election results that gave the Bengali-dominated opposition a clear victory. During those nine months of fighting, between 500,000 and 3 million civilians were killed by Pakistani forces. Between 200,000 and 400,000 Bangladeshi women were raped. Over 10 million Bangladeshis fled into India.
Despite the genocidal violence, the U.S. government under President Richard Nixon broke a previous arms embargo on Pakistan and encouraged countries receiving U.S. military assistance, like Jordan and Iran (then a U.S. ally), to pass on U.S. armaments to the Pakistani generals. Several American officials in the U.S. consulate in Dhaka raised strenuous objections to Washington’s acquiescence to the genocide, referring to it as “moral bankruptcy,” and the U.S. ambassador to India also called on Nixon to end support for the Pakistani regime. These calls were rejected, and U.S. Consul General Archer Blood, who alerted Washington about the ongoing genocide, was immediately recalled.
According to Time magazine that autumn, “the U.S. has been ostentatiously mild in its public criticism of the atrocities and of Pakistan’s military ruler, President Yahya Khan — a man whom President Nixon likes.” Indeed, Nixon personally told the Pakistani dictator, “I understand the anguish you must have felt in making the difficult decisions you have faced.” In White House tapes that were later released, it was revealed that Nixon believed he could get away with it, noting how a genocidal war by Nigeria against the Christian region of Biafra had “stirred up a few Catholics,” but he didn’t expect such a reaction regarding Bangladesh since “they’re just a bunch of brown goddamn Muslims.”