{"id":84856,"date":"2026-01-21T08:56:22","date_gmt":"2026-01-21T08:56:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thediplomat.com.pk\/?p=84856"},"modified":"2026-02-08T08:59:16","modified_gmt":"2026-02-08T08:59:16","slug":"europes-selective-outrage-under-fire-iran-ukraine-greenland-spotlight-eu-double-standards-as-palestine-remains-ignored","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thediplomat.com.pk\/index.php\/2026\/01\/21\/europes-selective-outrage-under-fire-iran-ukraine-greenland-spotlight-eu-double-standards-as-palestine-remains-ignored\/","title":{"rendered":"Europe\u2019s selective outrage under fire: Iran, Ukraine, Greenland spotlight EU double standards as Palestine remains ignored"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>By Abida Khan<br \/>\n(Editor-in-Chief)<\/p>\n<p>ISLAMABAD, Wednesday, January 20, 2026 (WNP): The European Union\u2019s High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Kaja Kallas\u2019s fresh statements at the European Parliament have reignited an intense debate over Europe\u2019s selective morality and double standards in global affairs\u2014particularly its contrasting positions on Iran, Ukraine, Greenland and Palestine.<\/p>\n<p>Speaking in Strasbourg during debates on the state of the EU\u2019s common foreign, security and defence policy, Kallas strongly condemned Iran\u2019s internal handling of protests, declaring that\u00a0<em>\u201cIranian women and men are fighting for a future of their own choosing\u2014for freedom, dignity, and a better life,\u201d<\/em>\u00a0and described the Iranian authorities\u2019 response as\u00a0<em>\u201cbrutal repression.\u201d<\/em> She confirmed that the EU already has sweeping sanctions on Tehran in place and is actively working on new punitive measures.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Iran, Ukraine, Greenland spotlight EU double standards as Palestine remains ignored\" width=\"696\" height=\"392\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/Vw7EbIO_5lQ?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>In the same address, Kallas adopted an uncompromising stance in defence of Greenland and Denmark, asserting that\u00a0<em>\u201cGreenland belongs to its people. No threat or tariffs will change that,\u201d<\/em>\u00a0and stressing that sovereignty is\u00a0<em>\u201cnot for trade.\u201d<\/em>\u00a0She emphasized that Denmark and Greenland are not alone and described Arctic security as a shared transatlantic interest, while warning against the use of economic coercion.<\/p>\n<p>The EU\u2019s firm language echoed its long-standing position on Ukraine, where Kallas reiterated that\u00a0<em>\u201cUkraine\u2019s security is European security.\u201d<\/em>\u00a0She warned that a Ukrainian defeat could pose a direct threat to Europe and reminded lawmakers that the EU remains the largest international supporter of Ukraine, offering comprehensive diplomatic, financial and military assistance.<\/p>\n<p>However, critics argue that Europe\u2019s assertiveness sharply contrasts with its silence and inaction on Palestine, where Israel\u2019s military campaign over the past two years has resulted in widespread civilian casualties, mass displacement, and the destruction of civilian infrastructure\u2014developments that human rights groups have repeatedly described as resembling ethnic cleansing.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright wp-image-9342 size-thumbnail\" src=\"https:\/\/wnp.com.pk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/6e2ab10d-a44e-4690-9af2-80e393850bc0-150x150.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"150\" height=\"150\" \/>Rehan Khan, a seasoned journalist and expert in international relations, strongly criticized the EU\u2019s approach, saying Europe has \u201cunmasked its own ugly face\u201d by applying international law selectively.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cEurope speaks loudly about human rights in Iran, sovereignty in Greenland, and aggression in Ukraine, but turns a blind eye when Palestinian civilians are being collectively punished,\u201d Rehan Khan told WNP.<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>\u201cTHIS IS NOT PRINCIPLED DIPLOMACY; IT IS INTEREST-DRIVEN POLITICS WRAPPED IN MORAL LANGUAGE.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Khan argued that Europe\u2019s focus on a segment of Iranian society is politically motivated rather than humanitarian.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe EU claims to champion the rights of some Iranian people, but this narrative is largely used to pursue nefarious geopolitical objectives, including attempts to destabilize and topple a government that still enjoys the support of a majority of Iran\u2019s population,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>\u201cAT THE SAME TIME, EUROPE CONVENIENTLY IGNORES THE FACT THAT IRAN\u2019S ECONOMIC HARDSHIPS ARE THE DIRECT RESULT OF DECADES-LONG SANCTIONS.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>He added that European leaders frequently highlight Iran\u2019s financial constraints while never holding the United States accountable for imposing crippling sanctions that have pushed the Iranian economy to the brink of collapse.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou cannot discuss Iran\u2019s economic crisis honestly without acknowledging Washington\u2019s role,\u201d Khan said. \u201cEurope\u2019s silence on this reality exposes its lack of intellectual and moral honesty.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Expanding the critique to the broader Middle East, Khan said the region\u2019s instability cannot be divorced from Western interventionism.<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>\u201cTHE MIDDLE EAST IS ONE OF THE WORLD\u2019S RICHEST REGIONS IN NATURAL RESOURCES, PARTICULARLY BLACK GOLD,\u201d HE NOTED. \u201cYET IT HAS BEEN SYSTEMATICALLY TURNED INTO A WAR-TORN REGION THROUGH FOREIGN INTERVENTIONS, PROXY WARS AND ECONOMIC EXPLOITATION BY THE UNITED STATES AND EUROPE. ITS RESOURCES ARE EFFECTIVELY USURPED, WHILE ITS PEOPLE PAY THE PRICE IN BLOOD AND POVERTY.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Diplomatic observers warn that such perceived double standards are eroding Europe\u2019s credibility, particularly in the Muslim world and the Global South, where the EU increasingly struggles to present itself as a neutral defender of international law.<\/p>\n<p>As debates continue in Strasbourg, analysts say Europe faces a defining question: whether its commitment to human rights and sovereignty is universal, or merely selective, applied forcefully against adversaries while softened\u2014or abandoned\u2014when allies are involved.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>By Abida Khan (Editor-in-Chief) ISLAMABAD, Wednesday, January 20, 2026 (WNP): The European Union\u2019s High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Kaja Kallas\u2019s fresh statements at the European Parliament have reignited an intense debate over Europe\u2019s selective morality and double standards in global affairs\u2014particularly its contrasting positions on Iran, Ukraine, Greenland and Palestine. Speaking in [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":84857,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"video","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[67,65,69,58],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-84856","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-video","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-diplomacy","8":"category-foreign-missions","9":"category-opinion-editorial","10":"category-world","11":"post_format-post-format-video"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/thediplomat.com.pk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/84856","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/thediplomat.com.pk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/thediplomat.com.pk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thediplomat.com.pk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thediplomat.com.pk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=84856"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/thediplomat.com.pk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/84856\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":84858,"href":"https:\/\/thediplomat.com.pk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/84856\/revisions\/84858"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thediplomat.com.pk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/84857"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/thediplomat.com.pk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=84856"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thediplomat.com.pk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=84856"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thediplomat.com.pk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=84856"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}