NEUTRALITY IS LIKE A ‘DO NOT DISTURB’ SIGN DURING A HURRICANE

By Maltese Canadian

Neutrality fails in 2026. The world has changed. Big powers ignore it. They strike anyway.

Take the war with Iran. Japan, France and the UK first claimed neutrality. They soon reversed course. They publicly stated their leanings. They joined operations. They saw the truth. Sitting on the fence invites danger.

Malta tried the same. It declared neutrality, despite the Basij forces killing over 30,000 of their own people for taking to the streets in Iran. What did Malta get in return for raising the white flag? Iranian missiles hit its ships in the Strait of Hormuz. The vessels burned. Crews abandoned ship. Neutrality brought no safety.

Our Maltese ancestors knew better. They did not flinch. They vociferously backed England or Italy in football matches. Herbert Ganado’s generation stood firm too. They supported the British Empire. Some even backed Mussolini’s Fascists. They chose sides. They acted like men.

As the holocaust survivor Elie Wiesel said, “”We must take sides. Neutrality helps the oppressor, never the victim. Silence encourages the tormentor, never the tormented.”

Only in the last fifty years, at the instigation of Dom Mintoff and Karmenu Mifsud Bonnici, has Malta hidden behind neutrality, pretending to stand aloof in a life of difficult choices. That era of neutrality has ended.

When men become boys, their weapons become toys. They turn into targets for the big guns.

The United States stretches far and wide. It moves from Venezuela to Greenland, from Iran to Cuba. China treats Taiwan’s international waters as its own playground. Russia extends its empire into neighbouring Ukraine. These powers do not ask permission. They take what they want.

Malta has just about 2,000 soldiers. The more it claims neutrality, the more it confesses weakness. No one fears those numbers. Invaders see an open door. They treat Malta as an eternal bed and breakfast begging to be occupied. As American President Alexander Hamilton foresaw it: “The rights of neutrality will only be respected when they are defended by an adequate power. A nation, despicable by its weakness, forfeits even the privilege of being neutral.”

Neutrality is a myth. It invites attacks. It offers no shield. Real strength lies in choice and resolve. Malta must learn this fast. The world of 2026 waits for no one.