Dying peace
In 1991 when USSR disintegrated at the end of the Cold War, the US had told the new Russia and China that you are on the wrong side of the world, the wrong side of history. Liberal democracy is winning and that’s the future of the world.
Only 30 years later to see – the US is proved to be not accurate. The Russian power demonstrated again – rising up from the rubbles of the shattered dream. This is definitely not a good day for liberals and democrats, however, is a challenge for the US if the democratic block it led for since the end of World War II is strong enough to resist the illiberalism creep in.
Russia flexing its muscle – tested in Syria and used in Ukraine. China is taking over the democratic world in terms of economic power. It is the time for US and EU leaders to revise their strategies and goals or sit back for self-evaluation to see what their missteps were in advancing democracy and liberal order. The political leadership in the US is unlikely to sit for revision – they still believe they control the world.
The attack on Ukraine has received higher condemnation from around the world compared to the US attack on Iraq. If you scroll through the media headlines, it was an ‘attack’ in Iraq whereas it’s an ‘invasion’ in Ukraine. Despite being attacks of similar nature, the way they are interpreted question the unbiased nature of media.
The US must accept blames for the rise of illiberalism. Its mission in the last 30 years or more was more on interfering internal affairs of the other countries than helping them advance democracies. Had there been sincere efforts to the advancement of democracy, anti-US sentiments are unlikely to develop. People would not have altered their sides to the illiberal order.
When I pointed out the mistakes of the US for killing democratic order, I am certain Russia is following the same path. The attack on other country’s sovereignty would never strengthen the attacker’s position. The glory, if any, may last very short.
In saying so, human history does not give us any hope of having a long peaceful order. There had been some silence post World War II, the cycle is not reversing. The pollical order, economic and social dimension, and political boundaries are likely to be altered not in the distant future. And that’s the basic character of the human being – it hardly lives in peace.