Selective Sovereignty

Abstract This study examines the divergent U.S. foreign policy approaches under the Biden administration toward the conflict in Gaza and the war in Ukraine. While both theaters involve contested claims over sovereignty and territorial integrity, U.S. responses diverge sharply. Washington vigorously defends Ukrainian sovereignty against Russian aggression while providing unconditional material support to Israel, systematically marginalizing Palestinian claims. Utilizing role theory, this article analyzes how deeply institutionalized national role conceptions shape executive discourse through the interaction of self-understandings ( ego expectations ) and external domestic and international demands ( alter expectations ). We argue that the administration’s liberal internationalist framework produces a severe role conflict between its identity as a “Universal Norm Defender” and its commitment as a “Steadfast Ally.” Ultimately, this friction is resolved through a stable, rigid hierarchy of roles where material alliance commitments systematically override universal Westphalian norms, resulting in a predictable pattern of selective sovereignty and organized hypocrisy. Relying on a qualitative structural discourse analysis of official executive documents, UN voting logs, and presidential speeches (2021–2025), this study maps the linguistic mechanisms used to navigate this dual-theater crisis, offering critical insights into the structural limits of normative consistency in contemporary American hegemony.