“Decolonization” in activist rhetoric often implies real, violent action rather than abstract academic discussion: Zineb Riboua.

In Brief by Probe International

The contemporary condemnation of Israel and the United States is rooted in a Third-Worldist ideology that views the West as a perpetual oppressor and any opposition to it as inherently justified, asserts researcher and scholar Zineb Riboua in “The Third-Worldist Logic” for the Hudson Institute think tank.

Examining how “decolonization” has evolved in Western intellectual and activist circles, particularly in relation to Israel following the Hamas attacks of October 7, 2023, Riboua argues contemporary usage of the term has transformed from its historical meaning—the end of European colonial empires and emergence of independent states—into a rigid ideological framework that justifies violence and delegitimizes Israel and, by extension, Western (especially American) power.

Distinct from Islamism and Communism, Riboua traces how this narrative evolved through intellectual figures like Marxist historian Maxime Rodinson, who equated Zionism with European colonialism, and academic Edward Said—credited as “the intellectual godfather of today’s pro-Palestine protesters”—who critiqued Western knowledge through the lens of colonialism.

Condemning Israel not for specific actions, but for its symbolic representation of Western domination, Riboua points to events like Oct. 7 as atrocities that cannot be recognized as such without undermining the narrative of inherent oppression. The result, argues Riboua, is a “universal script” that creates conceptual confusion, moral certainty without nuance, and mobilization around total indictment rather than partial critique or negotiation, leaving realities obscured (e.g., Jewish indigeneity, refugee contexts) and violence justified.

To read this commentary in full, go to the publisher’s website here.

Zineb Riboua is a research fellow with the Hudson Institute’s Center for Peace and Security in the Middle East.