The chilling echoes of state terror are now reverberating through the United States and Israel. The warning signs were always there, but the normalization of fear has made it almost imperceptible. For years, I have documented the horrors of totalitarian regimes, from Syria to Egypt, where I witnessed people taken away in the dead of night, never to be seen again.
The pattern is all too familiar: governments use coded language like "security" and "order" to justify their actions, while demonizing anyone who dares to speak out against them. In Iraq, Saddam Hussein punished dissidents with brutal violence; in Egypt, Giulio Regeni was tortured and killed by President Abdel Fatah al-Sisi's security services.
In the West Bank and Gaza, Israeli soldiers have been implicated in numerous cases of torture, imprisonment, and murder of Palestinian civilians. The tools of state terror are now being wielded by democratic states themselves, with chilling consequences.
The most insidious aspect of this phenomenon is how it erodes democracy from within. Governments use their power to silence critics, intimidate activists, and punish those who dare to speak out against them. Acclaim for the Israeli government's "security" measures has become a euphemism for its blatant disregard for human rights.
I have seen this pattern before in authoritarian regimes, but now it is happening in the West. The normalization of fear is a slow-moving beast, but one that can be stopped if we listen to the voices of those who have lived through state terror. We must heed their warnings and recognize the early signs of erosion, lest we lose ourselves in the abyss of totalitarianism.
The Reckoning Project's work is crucial in documenting these abuses and holding those responsible accountable. As Janine di Giovanni so eloquently puts it, "State terror does not make a state safer. When democratic states adopt the methods of tyrannies, they become weaker." The question now is: will we listen?
The pattern is all too familiar: governments use coded language like "security" and "order" to justify their actions, while demonizing anyone who dares to speak out against them. In Iraq, Saddam Hussein punished dissidents with brutal violence; in Egypt, Giulio Regeni was tortured and killed by President Abdel Fatah al-Sisi's security services.
In the West Bank and Gaza, Israeli soldiers have been implicated in numerous cases of torture, imprisonment, and murder of Palestinian civilians. The tools of state terror are now being wielded by democratic states themselves, with chilling consequences.
The most insidious aspect of this phenomenon is how it erodes democracy from within. Governments use their power to silence critics, intimidate activists, and punish those who dare to speak out against them. Acclaim for the Israeli government's "security" measures has become a euphemism for its blatant disregard for human rights.
I have seen this pattern before in authoritarian regimes, but now it is happening in the West. The normalization of fear is a slow-moving beast, but one that can be stopped if we listen to the voices of those who have lived through state terror. We must heed their warnings and recognize the early signs of erosion, lest we lose ourselves in the abyss of totalitarianism.
The Reckoning Project's work is crucial in documenting these abuses and holding those responsible accountable. As Janine di Giovanni so eloquently puts it, "State terror does not make a state safer. When democratic states adopt the methods of tyrannies, they become weaker." The question now is: will we listen?
... I mean, I know these things have happened before in other countries, but it's so unsettling to see them happening right under our noses here. How can we just sit back and watch as governments start silencing people who speak up against them? It's like they're using the same tactics as those bad regimes we've always been told are "the enemy" 
... I'm not saying the West is inherently good or anything, but it feels so wrong to be doing this. We need to get our priorities straight and start listening to these people who have experienced state terror firsthand 
... maybe then we can actually do something about it 
the govts are using legit sound bites to control ppl's minds and it's freaky how fast people can get on board with it 
like what happened in germany pre wwii 
always gotta keep an ear out for suspicious language and not be afraid to speak up 
... the fact that these tactics are being used by so-called "democratic" countries is just mind-blowing 
. 72% of Palestinians reported experiencing arbitrary arrest or detention in 2022, and the US has been implicated in some shady stuff too 
. The Reckoning Project's work is crucial, but we need to take action ASAP 
... if we don't hold our leaders accountable for human rights abuses, we'll be sleepwalking into a dystopian nightmare 
. 85% of people worldwide believe that torture should never be used as a means of interrogation 
. It's time to wake up and smell the coffee 
️!
. The fact that they're using power to silence critics and punish activists is really messed up. We need to listen to the voices of those who have experienced this kind of thing before so we can stop it from happening again.
.
. We need more voices on the internet that are willing to call out these abuses and demand accountability. It's not going to be easy, but I think it's time for us to stand up and take notice.
. I mean, have you seen how one-sided this article is? The author is basically saying that Israel and the US are always wrong, but never presents any alternative perspective 
.
just saw this article about state terror in the US and Israel and I'm SHOOK 
. One minute you've got freedom to express yourself, and the next, it's like, "security" this, and "order" that... sounds so innocent until people start vanishing