An Ode to ‘No Kings’ Royalism
POETRY FORMAT, 30 Mar 2026
Richard Falk | Global Justice in the 21st Century – TRANSCEND Media Service
as if restless
a crown prince
impatient
to catch a crown
falling from heaven
the darkest miracle
it lands upright
on his crooked head
Not accidentally
Nor dynastically
Not benevolently
transactionally
the American way
stealth with wealth
gangsterism as needed
wars here and there
billionaires ready
on call day or night
upending history
law morality
an untold part
of the national story
so far
not for long
a white Christian Confederacy
reborn evangelically
in a goldleaf palace
to torment what remains
a thorn in the soul
of the nation
too long dormant
its luck run amok
while the nightmare lasts
why not bury
the American Revolution
the Declaration Independence
as charred embers
and be done
with betrayals
it is time
it is time for this
maybe too late
if yet once more
fortunate
restore the worst
renounce the best
in ceremonies
of erotic malevolence
on remote islands
keep the pomp
hide the circumstance
at gala state dinners
honoring the criminal class
bathed for dinner
in dirty water
before being dressed
by a No Kings valet
seeking bread and circuses
as never before
to blur the sunset glare
of broken promises
cascades of lies
hiding unspeakable
abuse wherever
young girls caught
yet twinned to a demonic urge
to ascend a golden throne
to repeat and repeat
these lyric words
l’état est moi
guests welcome
to bow and scrape
allowed to pet
the royal hounds
we have our first king
as yet uncrowned
already bejeweled
raging against those
more virtuous
the homeless fugitives
of market ethics
silencing songbirds
embers of hate
on moonlit nights
wildfires of love
spread to the castle
white ashes remain
welcome a zombie royalty
of a dying kingdom
of a decadent king
legacies of fake pageantry
now survives as memory
of skeletons of residues
this is our country
Now hosting kings
ascend
imported thrones
the recurring dream
that keeps threatening
to become real
the final crime
stealth and wealth
beneath a golden dome
as royal than
a Disney World joy ride
No need for coronations
or dynastic entitlements
in the MAGA world
enough to glow
in the pale dusk
cast by reigning
broligarchs
occupying once free cities
with ICE pepper spray
swag and swagger
stiff salutes
sly smiles of Arab sheiks
farewell to those nightmares
of freedom and equality
diversity equity inclusion
remembering forgetting
it is about time
once proud citizens
bend stiff knees
becoming the America of our forefathers
no longer thieves of native American land
no longer high minded slaveholding America
the old America is reborn
the sun no longer rises
over deserts of the spirit
darkness prevails
glimmers of light
here and there
signposts of hope
awaiting cremations
of evil before
the next dusk
awaiting the next dawn
new episodes of hope
as America struggles
with devouring ghosts
of past of present
while some of us
shout venceremos
trapped in echo chambers
OF LOVE AND STRUGGLE
__________________________________________
Santa Barbara, California and Yalikavak, Turkey (2025-26)
Prof. Richard Falk is a member of the TRANSCEND Network, of the TRANSCEND Media Service Editorial Committee, Albert G. Milbank Professor Emeritus of International Law at Princeton University, Chair of Global Law, Faculty of Law, at Queen Mary University London, Research Associate the Orfalea Center of Global Studies at the University of California, Santa Barbara, and Fellow of the Tellus Institute. He directed the project on Global Climate Change, Human Security, and Democracy at UCSB and formerly served as director the North American group in the World Order Models Project. He also is a member of the editorial board of the magazine The Nation. Between 2008 and 2014, Falk served as UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights in Occupied Palestine. His book, (Re)Imagining Humane Global Governance (2014), proposes a value-oriented assessment of world order and future trends. His most recent books are Power Shift (2016); Revisiting the Vietnam War (2017); On Nuclear Weapons: Denuclearization, Demilitarization and Disarmament (2019); and On Public Imagination: A Political & Ethical Imperative, ed. with Victor Faessel & Michael Curtin (2019). He is the author or coauthor of other books, including Religion and Humane Global Governance (2001), Explorations at the Edge of Time (1993), Revolutionaries and Functionaries (1988), The Promise of World Order (1988), Indefensible Weapons (with Robert Jay Lifton, 1983), A Study of Future Worlds (1975), and This Endangered Planet (1972). His memoir, Public Intellectual: The Life of a Citizen Pilgrim was published in March 2021 and received an award from Global Policy Institute at Loyala Marymount University as ‘the best book of 2021.’ He has been nominated frequently for the Nobel Peace Prize since 2009.
Go to Original – richardfalk.org
Tags: Authoritarianism, Poetry, USA
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Dear Professor Richard Falk as a senior, highly respected, member of the Transcend Network, senior professorial member of numerous tertiary institutes and of the Transcend Media Service, Editorial Committee, I write to you again, noting absolutely no response, in my humble capacity, to propose that a special memorandum be sent to the United National by the collective membership of the Board, contributors and readers of the Transcend Media Journal, to submit an appeal, as I have taken the liberty to draft and respectfully submit for your consideration and call to action by TMS.
United Nations Humanitarian and Peace Appeal
Draft Memorandum for Consideration by The Transcend Media Service Executive Committee
Dated: 23rd March 2026; Resent 30th March 2026 as no response received
Draft prepared by: Hoosen Vawda (Peace Propagator), for consideration by TMS
I. Rationale and Purpose of this Memorandum
This memorandum seeks TMS Executive Committee approval to submit an urgent humanitarian appeal to the United Nations (UN) calling for immediate executive action to prevent further escalation of the Iran War of 2026, which multiple scholarly analyses, including that of Professor Richard Falk, identify as a “war of choice” rather than necessity (Falk, 2026).
The war threatens:
• regional and global stability,
• the safety of millions of civilians,
• and international peace under the UN Charter.
II. Basis for the Appeal
1. The War Lacks Legal Justification
Independent analyses affirm the absence of an imminent threat from Iran prior to the conflict:
• Intelligence assessments and expert commentary reveal that Iran had neither initiated nor prepared attacks warranting pre emptive force (Gillespie, 2026).
• This places the conflict in violation of UN Charter Articles 2(4) and 51, as highlighted by Professor Falk (2026).
2. Severe Humanitarian Catastrophe
Reliable assessments document:
• hundreds of civilian deaths, including children,
• destruction of hospitals, schools, and critical infrastructure,
• mass displacement and community collapse (Center for American Progress, 2026).
The UN has a statutory obligation to protect civilian populations from unnecessary suffering.
3. Escalating Regional Instability
Studies show that the war has:
• destabilised the Gulf region,
• triggered proxy escalations,
• endangered neighbouring states,
• disrupted the Strait of Hormuz, through which 20% of global oil flows (Al Jazeera, 2026).
4. Global Economic Shockwaves
The Atlantic Council warns of:
• unprecedented market volatility,
• energy price surges,
• global supply-chain disruptions,
• heightened risk of recession (Kroenig, 2026).
This war is no longer a regional conflict, it is a global humanitarian crisis.
III. Why the United Nations must act now
1. The UN’s Mandate Under the Charter
The UN was established to “save succeeding generations from the scourge of war.”
Failure to act undermines:
• international security,
• global confidence in collective governance,
• and the credibility of the global peace architecture.
2. Historical Precedent of Failure
As seen in Iraq (2003), Gaza (2023–2025), and Syria, Security Council paralysis has repeatedly enabled humanitarian disasters. The current Iran War replicates this pattern.
3. The Nuclear Shadow
With three heavily armed states engaged, Israel, Iran, and the United States, the risk of miscalculation is non trivial.
Unchecked escalation could make the 2026 Doomsday Clock move dangerously closer to midnight.
IV. Recommended actions for The United Nations
The memorandum requests that the UN pursue the following six urgent measures:
1. Emergency Special Session of the UN General Assembly
Convene under the Uniting for Peace Resolution (1950) when the Security Council is deadlocked.
2. Immediate Ceasefire AND Humanitarian Corridors
To allow:
• medical relief,
• civilian evacuation,
• infrastructure repair.
3. Appointment of a UN Special Envoy or Rapporteur
To investigate:
• legality of the war,
• civilian casualties,
• potential war crimes.
4. UN Supervised Peace Negotiations
Engage:
• Iran,
• the United States,
• Israel,
• Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) members,
• neutral mediators.
5. Stabilisation of Global Energy Supply
Coordination with OPEC, EU, AU, and ASEAN to prevent global economic collapse.
6. Investigation of Arms Industry Influence
Given evidence that the war benefits U.S. military-industrial corporations (Center for American Progress, 2026), the UN must examine the role of weapons profiteering.
V. Ethical and Spiritual Basis of The Appeal
Ubuntu Philosophy
Ubuntu teaches: “I am because you are.”
A war of choice violates the core of our shared humanity.
Harm to one nation becomes harm to all.
Biophotonic Coherence Framework
Conflict fractures the innate moral and luminous field binding human beings.
Peace restores coherence, dignity, and spiritual integrity.
Universal Religious Teachings
All major traditions affirm:
• sanctity of life,
• prohibition of unjust war,
• accountability of leaders,
• duty to protect the vulnerable.
The war violates these universal moral principles.
VI. Recommendation to the TMS Executive Committee
It is recommended that:
A. TMS endorses the memorandum as a collective institutional position
This amplifies moral weight and academic authority.
B. The memorandum be submitted jointly by:
• TMS Founder Prof. Johan Galtung (if possible),
• Prof. Richard Falk,
• the TMS Editorial Board,
• and TMS Peace Scholars.
C. The memorandum be dispatched to:
• The UN Secretary General,
• President of the UN General Assembly,
• UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA),
• UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC),
• Non Aligned Movement (NAM) leadership.
VII. Conclusion
This memorandum urges the United Nations to fulfil its founding purpose.
The 2026 Iran War is a preventable catastrophe.
Without immediate intervention:
• civilian deaths will continue,
• regional escalation is likely,
• global markets may collapse,
• the nuclear threshold could be crossed.
The moral responsibility now lies with the global community to act decisively.
Prepared for TMS Executive Consideration
With humility, respect, and devotion to global peace.
Hoosen Vawda
Peace Propagator
Contributor To Transcend Media Service, Solutions Orientated Peace Journalism
UKZN, Nelson R. Mandela School of Medicine
Durban, South Africa