Dear democratic countries remember: Elon Musk is a great entrepreneur, not a geopolitical actor.

It seems we are living in an age where the long series of American movies are becoming reality. I’m referring to those were the plot sees a rich entrepreneur (the antagonist) who, for many reasons, wants to conquer the world and challenge democracy. Eventually a faithful hero (the main character), usually a soldier, defeat him, saves the US President, and restore democracy. If this is the kind of movie we are living in, that gives me hope for a bright future, because at the end of the day the good prevail over the evil. However, it seems to me that western countries are not realizing it, and even worst don’t seem so persuaded in “defeating” the antagonist.

Source: axios.com/2023/09/18/elon-musk-netanyahu-israel-antisemitism-x

Israel has decided to put the Gaza Strip in communication blackout. There are military and strategic reasons for it, one of those is to isolate the Hamas terrorist group. Well, here it comes the antagonist: a reach entrepreneur who decided to help the terrorists by providing internet access through Starlink. Of course, the “antagonist” hasn’t said he wants to support Hamas but to help Palestinians jailed by Hamas in the Gaza Strip. Even if one wants to believe in Musk’s words that the internet would be provided to civilians and not to the terrorists, how could it be possible? Once the satellite is aligned in the zone to serve, anyone who owns a specific kit could use it for accessing the internet.

In all of this I see a big problem, which democratic countries must face quickly. If innocent Jewish were slaughtered by Hamas, including children beheaded, and if the same people still bring the mourning of the 6 million people killed by Hitler and its allies during WWII, the question is simple: does Israel have the right to defend its own existence? If so, does an entrepreneur have the right to interfere in an armed conflict?

Moreover, what concerns me the most is that a private citizen, no matter how rich he could be, is seriously taken into consideration by States and International Institutions; he became a geopolitical actor. It never happened in history, and this is not “progress” rather than an endangerment of democracy. So far, all of this looks like a “classic” American movie. Are we able to find a hero and stop the antagonist, or the private sector would take over States, Democracies and International Institutions?