Photo: The New York Times
Tucker Carlson, a controversial US right-wing journalist, criticised the US government for failing to call for a ceasefire in Gaza and Ukraine, claiming that the country is "losing moral authority."
Speaking at the World Government Summit in Dubai on Monday, the former Fox News political commentator emphasised the necessity for the US to avoid backing wars primarily for its own objectives, a technique known as proxy warfare.
“If you see a nation with awesome power, abetting war for its own sake, you have a leadership that has no moral authority, that is illegitimate,” Carlson said.
“(The US) has been a morally superior country. (But) if we allow our leaders to use our power to spread destruction for its own sake, that is shameful.”
Carlson, who has long criticised President Joe Biden's domestic and foreign policies, stands out in his opposition to Republican support for Israel's self-defence against Hamas, Arab News reported.
During a one-on-one interview with Egyptian journalist Emad Eldin Adeeb, Carlson expressed dissatisfaction with the current condition of American politics, criticising Biden for incompetence and a lack of freedom for debating such problems.
“The president is an unconscious menace, and ... in my country, it is considered very rude to say that and you sort of wonder, how did you get to a place where you have an incompetent president who’s driven not simply the standard of living but life expectancy downward?” Carlson said.
Providing an analysis of living conditions, he mentioned his recent trip to Moscow, a metropolis of 13 million people, which he thought to be "much cleaner, safer, and more aesthetically pleasing" than many places in the United States.
“Isn’t that the ultimate measure of leadership?” he argued. “(Consider cities like) Singapore, Tokyo, Dubai and Abu Dhabi. These cities, no matter how we’re told they’re run and on what principles they’re run, are wonderful places to live, don’t have rampant inflation, (and) you’re not going to get raped.”
Carlson discussed his recent interview with Russian President Vladimir Putin, which was a rare concession by the Russian leader to a Western journalist and addressed criticism he received for not diving into problems such as free speech or political assassination.
He stressed that his purpose was to see the world through Putin's eyes, rather than to enhance Putin's version of history.
Carlson defended the interview by accusing Biden of a lack of understanding of history and international politics, claiming that American leaders mistakenly assume Putin wants to expand his boundaries.
According to Carlson, Putin stated during the interview that his decision to invade Ukraine was spurred by an open offer from US Vice President Kamala Harris to Ukraine to join NATO, a privilege denied to Putin years ago.
Carlson described this move as “a synonym for the plan to put nuclear weapons (on the border) with Russia.”
Citing suppression in the US media landscape, Carlson claimed to be the only voice emphasising the importance of the NATO invitation in the context of imminent conflict.
“This just tells you how constipated and restricted and censored the US media landscape is,” Carlson argued. “But I was the only one who said that.”
He added: “The purpose of diplomacy is to reach a peaceful, mutually — one hopes — beneficial, conclusion to a crisis.
“If you’re showing up voluntarily at the Munich Security Conference and saying, ‘Hey, Zelensky, why don’t you allow us to put nuclear weapons on Russia’s border?’, you’re cruising for a war because you know that’s the red line.”