If the slightest doubt remained that Western media defines “terrorism” solely as violence committed by people of specific ethnic groups and cultures, the reaction to the lorry attack in Nice, France, should have completely erased it.

On June 5 New York Governor Andrew Cuomo signed into law an executive order aimed at the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) Movement. In Cuomo’s order there is a provision that requires the state to create a list of companies that participate in the BDS movement. The list aims to publicly shame and financially harm those who exercise their First Amendment right of political protest. And though Cuomo’s order will not stand up to a challenge in court, the list itself will cause extreme harm and damage — and that’s the plan.

A shift in the US political discourse on Israeli conduct has culminated with Senator Patrick Leahy’s challenge to the dominant narrative of Israel’s military purity and the Palestinians as bad actors. Leahy cited the killing of 18-year-old Hadeel al-Hashlamoun in September at an Israeli checkpoint in occupied territory.

The media will swarm and exhaustively cover attacks on civilians in the West when Muslims do them. But when the perpetrator is white, the questions become “how are we getting so used to this” and “is it time to talk about gun control.”

When one looks at the actions of the US on the international stage, it’s obvious that the world’s lone superpower is the least trustworthy of the parties negotiating in Lausanne, Switzerland.