EXPORTING CHAOS: THE LESS AND LESS SALEABLE PRODUCT OF THE WESTERN WORLD
The world hungers for many things. Many these days simply hunger. But broadly, individuals and families seek several important things above all else, peace, stability, health and a steady income. Instability, war and a chaotic, unpredictable environment destroy all hope of gaining these basic prerequisites that primarily determine hopes for the future.
However, the political elites of the USA continue to prioritise two elements to living above and beyond all else, including the items mentioned above that most people clearly require and wish for above all else. These two elements, ‘freedom’ and ‘democracy’, have in recent years by their enforcement by the USA upon others have been acting to directly destroy the hope for the things I that in my opinion most people worldwide hold dear.
Even within the USA itself, supposedly the paragon of freedom and democracy we see a society tearing itself apart and losing any hope of peace, stability, health and a steady income, those basic essentials for the maintenance of hope for the future. What kind of message does this send to those societies that the USA has intervened in recently regarding their future. Is it not endless destruction of all hope?
Across the global south there is growing evidence that national leaders have drawn the obvious conclusions from this state of affairs. They have observed one nation after another in the Middle East who were provided with the “benefits” of U.S. attention in recent years and who have fallen into states of anarchy and chaos previously unheard of. They are also well aware that the intention of the USA is to bring these “benefits” to many others worldwide. Some they clearly name such as Iran, others they merely hint at such as Russia and China.
It has become clear through most nations of the global south expressing their unwillingness to comply with the demands of the USA that they condemn Russia for its intervention in Ukraine, that a sea change has occurred in the perception of the USA and the West in general.
For centuries the nations of the global south, now known as emerging or developing markets, previously known as the Third World (as if third rate) were treated as sometimes hapless pupils requiring personal lessons from their head teacher. This followed on from previous eras when they were treated to one degree or another as slaves, either literally or as faceless drones who could be exploited through colonisation. The worst of these excesses faded away with time but only to be replaced by a certain patrician and patronising attitude to them. They were seen as errant children in need of disciplining or unruly teenagers who required the heavy hand of a controlling adult.
In recent years there has been a distinct lessening of interest in the global south in listening to the incessant demands of the West. This has come with a rising awareness and appreciation for the increasing power of the East and the very different attitude those of the east bring with them. They talk in a form that emphasises the four elements that engender hope of a better life spoken of above, peace, stability, health and a steady income. More than that they speak of investment, agreement, mutual success, progress and development… without strings attached.
It is inbuilt within the rules and regulations determining whether or not USAID is provided that U.S. companies and corporations must benefit from its delivery. Historically, of all the western nations only Sweden provides this aid with no strings attached. Now the nations of the global south have other options, and every sign indicates that they wish to take up those options and with alacrity. Each day seems to bring news of yet another nation wishing to join the BRICS economic cooperation grouping, BRICS being an acronym for Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa.
These developments bode very ill for the U.S. intent to become global hegemon within a unipolar world. This intent has the further goal of ushering in the worldwide reality of an incontestable U.S. dominance usually referred to as ‘full spectrum dominance’, that is dominance over land, sea, air and space. This eventuality, sought for through U.S. foreign policy objectives regarding the supposed delivery of freedom and democracy, requires an obvious subservience to its acknowledged command, the very thing that is now dissipating across the global south.
This leaves the political elites of the USA in an increasing quandary. Hence the upcoming trip to Africa by U.S. president Joe Biden. He has some urgent shoring up of U.S. power to do there. Whether he can succeed due to the lingering elements of leverage the USA still has (bribes and threats essentially) remains to be seen. Personally I would not rate his chances very highly at this stage of the renewed and reinvigorated, ‘Great Game’.
You could say that a kind of historical karma has now been activated, brought about by the ending of the unipolar world that arose with the collapse of the Soviet Union, with a multipolar world coming ever more into focus through the rise of China and the reemergence of Russia as a great power.
Great power politics are back. Those wishing to explore this could do no better than read the books and listen to the lectures by and interviews with Professor John J. Mearsheimer who is the world expert on this subject.
The western powers are struggling to assert their diminishing levels of dominance in the now increasingly vain desire to establish supreme dominance and exclusive command and control worldwide via liberal hegemony. All this while their own societies are in a state of some chaos, burgeoning debt and economic decline. It is a big ask. And it is getting bigger by the day.
Virtually every sign emerging now indicates they will fail.
EXPORTING CHAOS: THE LESS AND LESS SALEABLE PRODUCT OF THE WESTERN WORLD