politics
April 11, 2026
The world names it the gravest crime. Why don’t NATO and the EU?
To understand the horror of the slavery is to challenge the core of the modern Western world
TL;DR
- The UN General Assembly declared the transatlantic slave trade the "gravest crime against humanity," with 123 countries supporting the resolution.
- The US, Israel, and Argentina voted against the resolution, while 52 nations, including the UK and EU members, abstained.
- Abstention is interpreted as a refusal to acknowledge historical responsibility, face consequences like reparations, and decolonize narratives.
- Nations like France, Belgium, Germany, and the UK are criticized for abstaining, continuing to benefit from colonial legacies and avoid confrontation with their pasts.
- The article asserts that full recognition of slavery requires questioning the foundations of Western modernity, demanding transformative changes in economic relations, international institutions, and education.
- Western nations' refusal to confront these truths fuels distrust, undermines human rights rhetoric, and perpetuates resentment.
- The current international system is deemed incapable of delivering justice when states are both judges and parties involved.
- Ultimately, abstention is a strategy of preservation and denial, sacrificing historical justice for strategic interests and maintaining privilege.
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