[ad_1]
After the leaders of the United States and Russia concluded their summit on Wednesday, President Vladimir Putin assured a Canadian journalist that such meetings are aimed at saving the world from nuclear damage and finding solutions to the world’s economic, climate, and medical problems. President Joe Biden told reporters that there is no secret code for foreign policy. Everything is related to personal relationships and human nature.
All of this sounds rather ridiculous, if it is not a tragedy, considering that these two people who are purportedly trying to save the world cannot even hold a joint press conference after their three-hour chat to assure their people of the international community, Their noble intentions.
Not only did their first face-to-face meeting fail to make the world safer or better; but like old urchins, they used clichés and sinister arguments to attack each other’s country.
In other words, nothing was resolved at the summit; the severe challenges facing global security, whether it is network or strategy. Although Biden and Putin did agree to start a strategic dialogue, this can hardly be regarded as a restart or “reset.”
Since this is a preview of the future US-China summit, as the Biden administration strengthens the US position and changes the rules of diplomatic contact to control its competitors, of course there is nothing to celebrate, and there is much to consider. Biden will undoubtedly adopt a similar strategy in future contacts with China’s Xi Jinping, hoping to contain Beijing before it becomes the world’s leading power.
Obviously, global power politics has nothing to do with the personal chemistry of leaders; look into the eyes of the other person and think deeply about saving the world.
Obviously, the outcome of these summits is not to achieve a peaceful, healthy and clean nuclear-weapon-free world.
Obviously, the challenge is too great, and indeed too complicated, it has an impact on global and personal security.
But the logic that guides the superpowers to deal with these challenges is quite simple-this is the logic of power. There is no human rights and democracy, no sovereignty and international law, just power. The same applies to democratic and authoritarian regimes.
This is not to say that I think there is no difference between liberal democracy and totalitarian regimes. Of course I know and have strong preferences.
But in terms of foreign policy, certain democratic countries have no less imperialism or criminal acts in foreign policy than autocratic countries. Colonialism is a stark example. In the case of totalitarian regimes, some regimes like China have brought more prosperity to their people, especially the poor, than many democracies.
For centuries, major powers, regardless of skin color and stripes, used security as an excuse to compete, but ultimately led to greater global insecurity.
Their attempts to dominate regions and continents to prevent other ambitious powers from doing the same have already ruined the lives and livelihoods of countless people around the world.
For most of the second half of the 20th century, their competition has turned into nuclear competition, endangering the world with complete and mutually assured destruction.
MAD, indeed.
All in all, although they claim benevolence, enlightenment, freedom, civilization, and even the complete liberation of mankind; although they promote democracy and human rights, or adhere to international law and a system based on international rules, global powers have brought the world into the most serious conflict. And the most destructive war.
Like arsonist firefighters, they repeatedly tried to extinguish the fire with more fire and burn everything they came into contact with.
However, as Biden said, there is no secret code as to why and how they did it-this is not rocket science.
Nevertheless, despite the opposite on the surface, their business is not a personal business, but a dirty business. Once you avoid the huge scam from the government, everything becomes quite clear.
This is my simplified version of this complex picture.
Life in a world dominated by superpower politics is very much like life in a difficult community, where some bullies use their lack of authority to rule the streets by force. That is geopolitics.
They continue to accumulate weapons and assets to expand their influence and surpass other hardline bullies around the block. The fancy phrase is “offensive realism.”
When they agree to divide the neighborhood into areas of influence; this is “defensive realism.”
It is a strategy to use all available means to improve a person’s status in response to potential threats. It is propaganda to demonize others to prove one’s threat.
Some intimidate or manipulate helpless neighbors and provide them with protection in exchange for loyalty and support. Others may use more carrots than sticks to attract support; these are the patron-customer relationships that come in handy and can indirectly dominate large areas of the world .
When one bully becomes very arrogant, the other may avoid confrontation by encouraging a third bully to come forward; this is called “shirking responsibility.” In the past two decades, in order not to confront Washington, Beijing has shifted the blame to Moscow and let it face the aggressiveness of the United States after 9/11.
However, when a bully joins another bully against an aggressive third party, it is “following the trend.” In this way, European powers join the United States, and alienated Russia may also join China to fight for world hegemony in the 21st century.
Both of them are repeating what their predecessors have done for centuries, wide-eyed: fighting for power and influence regardless of the price of the world.
Judging from the delusional performance at this week’s press conference, it seems that Biden and Putin did not learn much from the mistakes of their predecessors.
[ad_2]
Source link
