Whataboutism – Moral And Political Hypocrisy

Date: April 2, 2025 (Wed)

Speakers:

Dov Levin, Department of Politics and Public Administration, HKU

Wilfred Chow, Department of Politics and Public Administration, HKU

Herman Cappelen, Department of Philosophy, HKU

Brian Wong, Department of Philosophy, HKU

Daniel Bell, Faculty of Law, HKU

Abstract:

When Nations Say “What About You?”: The Diplomacy of Whataboutism

When criticized in the international arena, nations increasingly counter with: “What about your own misdeeds?” This rhetorical tactic – whataboutism – effectively deflects international criticism by highlighting critics’ similar transgressions. We describe here this rhetorical strategy, its history and our theoretical framework on whataboutism’s international effects. Our cross-national research reveals that when governments counter foreign criticisms by pointing to comparable  actions by the critic, public support for punishing the criticized country decreases significantly. Whataboutism works best when highlighting recent, similar misconduct. Surprisingly, it does not matter whether the country deploying whataboutism is an ally or an adversary—the effect remains powerful either way. Why does this matter? For national policymakers, these findings present a dilemma: criticizing others opens the door to counter-accusations that can undermine public support for their foreign policy at home and abroad. Sometimes, silence may be golden. But there is a more fundamental lesson here: the best defense against whataboutism is consistency–aligning actions with stated values to avoid hypocrisy. In a world where information flows freely across borders, past misdeeds are never truly buried. Join us as we explore how this simple rhetorical device affects global diplomacy.