“Under the rubble in Gaza is not just the bodies of Palestinians, but the carcass of Western Liberal Democracy.”
– Arundhati Roy
What is an Orwellian Society?
An Orwellian world, as conceived by the celebrated novelist George Orwell, refers to a society characterized by a dystopian social, political, and economic system that comprises extreme surveillance, absolute control over the minds of the masses, and the extermination of dissidents. Moreover, excruciating torture and exploitation in Room 101, propagation of misleading and contemptible propaganda, epistemic violence and distortion of facts through the Ministry of Truth, and enormous social inequalities, warmongering, and a fake sense of superiority, in the form of hyper-nationalism, are the dominant features of the Orwellian world. George Orwell explored this choking, suffocating, and unimaginable society in his iconic novel, 1984. The fictional work chronicles the tyranny of an absolute and mysterious sovereign named “the Big Brother” who heads a totalitarian state. Every aspect of the state is under the malicious and dreadful surveillance of Big Brother. On the one hand, the state keeps the proles in an inescapable trap of poverty and destitution. On the other hand, it diverts the attention of the public from genuine issues towards triviality with the help of cheap pornography, radicalization, and delusional wars.
Through state-sponsored propaganda, the terrible state manipulates the minds of the masses, and those who attempt to topple the authoritarian regime are met with a formidable and torturous end. In the tyrannical state of Big Brother, the nonconformists are not only killed, but their previous existence is even wiped out. For instance, in the novel, being the tragic protagonist, Winston Smith tries to resist the status quo. However, his faith in ending the draconian regime shows him no fidelity. Instead of bringing a reformation, he himself is subjected to boundless miseries and an eventual death in the resolution.
Does Contemporary Global Politics Reflect Orwellianism?
Keeping in view the suffocating features of an Orwellian society, and comparing them with the practices of the contemporary hegemonic powers, it could be lamented that Orwellianism is not merely a fictional vision but an obvious practice in the current realpolitik. Ironically, the awful traits of Orwellianism could be witnessed through the actions of the so-called Western liberal democracies, which have adopted numerous unimaginable and, in fact, contemptible practices just to maintain their global monopoly. This could be vividly exemplified with the genocide of Palestinian by the ruthless Israeli regime and the destabilization of other Middle Eastern countries by the imperial and hegemonic designs of the US. These so-called civilized states are not only involved in the decapitation of states but also in embedding massive-scale humanitarian crises in the victim countries.
Human Rights Violations by the Hegemonic Powers
The protection of human rights, which was once the claim of the so-called liberal democratic world, has drastically vanished at the hands of the liberal democracies themselves. The atrocities by these hegemonic powers in Gaza starkly depict the dual standards of the champion of democracy and human rights. The United Nations Relief and Work Agency (UNRWA), for example, quoting the report of the Ministry of Health, estimates that over 72,000 Palestinians have been killed by the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) since 7th October 2023. Shockingly, among these casualties, over 20,000 are innocent children who had nothing to do with the combat, yet they became the fuel of the fire. Regrettably, the ruthless Israeli forces did not even spare the aid workers who were serving the helpless Palestinians. For instance, in April 2024, the IDF attacked the aid convoy of the World Central Kitchen and gunned down seven aid workers.
Coming towards the current time, in the war against Iran, the aggressors heartlessly targeted a girls’ school in Minab and snatched the lives of 165 innocent students as per the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCR). The US, of course, is not an exception in this barbarity. In fact, the implicit and explicit compliance of the US with the genocidal forces of Israel has provoked these tragedies in the region. Therefore, it is far beyond rationality to digest the superficial claims of the world powers that they are the guardians of human rights. As one of the key features of Orwellian society is the violation of human rights on a grave scale, and it is blatantly carried out in the contemporary world, therefore, the era could be unfortunately labelled as the era of Orwellianism.
Epistemic Violence and Contemptible Propaganda by the Despotic Rulers
Epistemic violence refers to the distortion of genuine knowledge through the manipulation of history, literature, and narratives. It is another leading trait of the Orwellian society in which Big Brother manipulates the masses through fake and distorted propaganda. This trait again is crystal clear in contemporary global politics. For example, in the decade of the 2000s, the Western powers, along with the occupier Israel, propagated that Iraq was engaged in the development of weapons of mass destruction. With this claim, the US attacked Iraq in 2003, committed grave-scale human rights abuses, and eventually left a shattered country in 2011. The same instability has been imposed on Libya, Syria, and Afghanistan by perpetrating gross human rights violations and keeping them in perpetual civil wars.
Currently, the regional and global assailants attacked Iran on 28 February 2026, even though more than half of the US citizens opposed the attack. PM Netanyahu, however, claimed that Iran is just closer to nuclear enrichment, a claim which is repeated time and again since the 1990s, while shamelessly casting aside the reports and findings of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). For instance, the IAEA Director General, Rafael Grossi, denied the claim that Iran has nearly reached nuclear enrichment in Natanz or Isfahan. As a matter of fact, Iran was cooperating with the agency regarding its peaceful nuclear program, but the genocidal force succeeded in presenting a false claim. The very same force, on the other hand, neither discloses its nuclear stockpile nor complies with the guidelines of the agency, yet the global powers constantly pamper it.
Diversion Tactics by the Imperial States
Another key tactic used by the Orwellian heads is the diversion of the masses from the real issues towards the trivial ones. In the fictional work, this practice is carried out through cheap entertainment and pornography. However, in the factual world, this is carried out through foolish foreign wars and conflicts. For example, before attacking Iran, the US president was under scrutiny for having an obnoxious link with the Epstein Files. The disclosed files reveal that President Trump is one of the key culprits in the heinous crime of rapping underage girls, for which he was subjected to harsh criticism in the United States. Similarly, the impulsive shootings by the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), at the call of the President, killed 32 people in 2025, as per The Guardian Report. This reckless approach of the president also directed the public’s criticism towards him. Speaking of Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu was charged with bribery, fraud, and breach of trust before commencing the war against the Palestinians. Now, to escape their own flaws, and deflect the attention of the public from the genuine indigenous issues, the imperial powers jointly commenced war against the Palestinians, and subsequently against Iran, turning a deaf ear and a blind eye to the fact that such aggression will leave the region in an endless social, political and economic turmoil in the form of economic crisis, regional stagflation and horrific civil wars. This is the reason that the seasoned US economist Professor Jeffrey Sachs calls this aggression an “imperial project” and the “hegemonic aspirations” of the US and Israel.
The Distortion of Facts Through Linguistic Manipulation
The totalitarian state of Oceania in 1948 manipulates the masses by meddling with the facts, either exaggerating or understating the reality. For example, the key slogans of the state are “war is peace, freedom is slavery, and ignorance is strength. The same slogans have been put into practice by the hegemons in the real world. The occupier Israel incited the theatre of war to preserve the Jewish community at the cost of the extermination of indigenous Palestinians. Gaza has been transformed into an open prison to curb their freedom, while the global community is kept ignorant by meddling with the facts and linguistic forms through their media platforms. For Russia, the term “invasion” is used, whereas for Israel, the term “crossed” is used. Furthermore, this abhorrent practice is carried out by dehumanizing the Palestinians and equating them with “human animals” and “beasts” as has been described by the Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant. In such an objectionable manipulation, the Western media, which once claimed to be the “free press”, regrettably plays a notorious role. For instance, when Israel and the US bombed a girls’ school in Minab, Iran, instead of mentioning the names of the bomber states, the Western Media reported, “A girls’ school is bombed in Iran.” Here, the aim is not merely to use the so-called polite and passive linguistic structures but to conceal the barbarity of the brutes. Therefore, the Ministry of Truth is unfortunately no longer the Ministry of Truth!
Catalysing Social Inequalities on a Global Level
Social inequality is another dominant theme of the Orwellian society, where the elites are favored while the proles are deliberately kept in destitution so that they remain in a persistent trap of poverty, being ignorant of the incompetence of the regime. In the real world, the global hegemons enshrine these social inequalities in the form of wars and ruthless sanctions. For example, despite being rich in oil, Iran cannot unlock its economic potential because of the US sanctions; nevertheless, Iran showed fidelity in adhering to the parameters of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).
One of the notable economists of Pakistan, Dr. Taimoor Rehman, claims that had Iran been free of US sanctions, its economy would have grown by approximately 15% to 17%. However, the West sees this growth as an existential threat to Israel, which itself is a threat to the existence of the Middle Eastern countries. Consequently, this approach not only serves as a stumbling block to the economic prosperity of the victim countries but also as a subsequent triggering factor in inciting social chaos and disruption, as was witnessed in the form of deadly protests in Iran in December 2025. Hence, it’s not difficult to accuse them of perpetuating a persistent trap of poverty in the rival countries.
Absolute Surveillance through AI and Intelligence Agencies
Absolute surveillance is another leading feature of the Orwellian society, where Big Brother is constantly watching the masses. In the current time, the US, which could be symbolized by Big Brother, has kept a constant gaze on the world. This surveillance is further facilitated by Israel, which could be symbolized by the character of O’Brien in the novel. The icing on the cake is that modern technology is misused to carry out this questionable surveillance and the subsequent annihilation of victims. For example, according to the Middle East Eye, the Israeli forces have been using the IWI Arbel weapon systems, an AI-monitored system which detects the prey and facilitates the massacre, while currently, the news circulates on media that the US and Israel have reached an agreement with the Open AI, binding it to generate only pro-western response regarding their ongoing war with Iran. Furthermore, the surveillance is carried out by implanting human intelligence in the targeted countries. This is why the political head of Hamas, Ismael Haniyeh, was assassinated in Tehran by compromising even the heart of the country. Another dimension of this surveillance is that the US is using Israel as its surveillance state in the Middle East to keep a constant look on the interests of other global competitors, such as China and Russia.
Evaporation of Rivals by the Dictatorial States
The major discourse of the 1984 novel revolves around the extermination of dissidents, which is carried out through certain choking and terrible tactics in Room 101. The critics are not only killed, but they are evaporated, and their very existence is rooted out. In contemporary global politics, this extermination of dissidents is carried out through aerial strikes, drone attacks, and reckless bombing. For example, Ismael Haniyeh, the political leader of Hamas, was a dissident, killed in July 2024. Yahya Sinwar was the opponent of Israel who was bombed in October 2024. Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was a staunch critic of Israel and the US, who was assassinated on 28 February 2026, and a long list follows. Moving a step ahead, it would not be an exaggeration to claim that the Guantanamo Bay Detention Centre of the US in Cuba, and the Gaza Strip in Palestine, have been made the Room 101 of the real world.
Who of the Global Politics Symbolizes Whom in the Novel?
To draw a hypothetical analogy between the players of global politics and the characters of the novel, it could be deduced that Donald Trump symbolizes Big Brother, as he is the one who has provoked this horrible theatre. Secondly, Benjamin Netanyahu could be labelled as the O’Brien of the real world who carries out the objectionable operations at the call of President Trump. These characters, however, could be capsized as well, in which the former influences the actions of the latter and vice versa. In contrast, the character of the tragic protagonist Winston Smith could be equated with the innocent Palestinians who suffered the epic brutalities, while Iran could be paralleled to Emmanuel Goldstein, the presumed enemy of Big Brother. In this classification again, Palestine and Iran could be used interchangeably. Last but not least, the whole Middle East, except Israel, could be termed as the proles of the present or, to some extent, the near future because the unholy aspirations of the Greater Israel verily remain a Sword of Damocles for the regional Arab countries.
Conclusion
To sum up, Orwellianism, which was once the debate of the fictional world, has now vividly and regrettably manifested itself in the factual world. The features of Orwellianism, which include social oppression, political tyranny, and economic exploitation, could be observed in the actions of the global and regional hegemons, particularly the US and Israel. The former has unleashed a new theatre of war in Iran, which indeed forecasts a horrible future for the regional and global community, while the latter has maintained its genocidal practices in Gaza since 7th October 2023, which has drastically shaken the conscience of human civilization.
In the midst of these imperial aspirations, all the dominant traits of Orwellianism could be clearly deduced, such as humanitarian crisis, obnoxious propaganda, social destitution, political tyranny, absolute surveillance, and extermination of the dissidents, Hence, the human civilization, which should have stepped toward mutual prosperity, is unfortunately dragged into the reign of global terror and oppression, where sovereignty, dignity, and liberty are but just lexemes. Therefore, to preserve the glorious values of human civilization, the global community and civil society need to resist the poisonous actions of these powers through diplomatic channels and global platforms. Otherwise, the annihilation of moral and ethical principles is inevitable because “leaders change, tempers flare, incentives shift, but what remains is the example set.”
If you want to submit your articles and/or research papers, please visit the Submissions page.
To stay updated with the latest jobs, CSS news, internships, scholarships, and current affairs articles, join our Community Forum!
The views and opinions expressed in this article/paper are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect the editorial position of Paradigm Shift.
Mr. Yaseen Khan, is the graduate of National University of Modern Languages (Peshawar) in English Literature and Linguistics. He is keenly interested in exploring and writing on social issues and global affairs.
