These days the world is witnessing a strange, unprecedented phenomenon. In the US, the two presidents, they dive in front of the whole society and expose the strongest power in the world to ridicule.
US President-elect Donald Trump appoints ambassador to Israel, supporter of settlement building and promised to translate embassy in Jerusalem, while Barack Obama is not the first time the Security Council vetoes resolution condemning Israeli settlement.
And it is the most recent example, which yesterday led Uri Friedman (Uri Friedman) of the magazine the The Atlantic:
«Barack Obama promises to take revenge for the intervention of the Russian government in the election campaign in the US, while Donald Trump doubts of meddling in Russia and Vladimir Putin thanks for “very friendly” Christmas greetings.Obama’s Pentagon demands that China returned underwater drone, seized in the South China Sea, while Trump describes the episode as “unprecedented”, but then suddenly changes its position and offering the Chinese leave the machine itself, “- says Uri Friedman.
Facts
The Pax The Americana – which translates from Latin as American world – the designation of the post-World War II until today, when the United States because of its power of ensuring peace and prosperity in much of the Western world. The name arose under the influence of Pax Romana, used in relation to the 206-year history of the Roman Empire from 27 BC 180 of the new era, when the reign of Rome and the Roman law provided the harmony even in those regions, which are usually at odds with each other.
It is hard to imagine a more convincing evidence that the Pax Americana era passed. Because it represents the era of Pax Americana since the end of World War II, when the United States was the standard to which his attitude – positive or negative – were required to identify all of the world: both friends and enemies.
This was the order of the world, which has led to the fact that all clearly understand what he meant President George W. Bush when he said after September 11:. “Either you are with us or against us” No one asked, “Who is this” we “? Today it had to be done. Because who is the “we” today? This Trump? Or Obama?
The collapse of the old order of
The answer to this question is of no interest in many countries of the world, because there have long ceased to be guided by the United States. Here are just three very eloquent example. On Tuesday, Turkey, Iran and Russia held a meeting in Moscow to work out a peace plan in Syria. No representative of the United Nations for a peaceful solution to the Syrian problem, Staffan de Mistura, nor anyone from the US were not even invited. It was a shame, and it was done on purpose.
In the Philippines, which from 1950 were US allies, the new president Rodrigo Duterte in November said that if China and Russia will decide to establish a new world order, it will be the first to join him. There is no doubt that the military junta in Thailand, another traditional ally of the Americans, might well think the same thing here in recent years, too, have changed the US on Russia as a partner.
If anyone still doubts that you can remember and that so-called “tripartite working group” recently held a meeting on Afghanistan in Moscow. And from whom did the group consist of? In her senior officials from Russia, China and Pakistan. Afghans themselves are not invited to that, according to Deutsche Welle, is a consequence of the fact that between Afghanistan and India, there has been some convergence, leading to the fact that Pakistan, a longtime enemy India now wants to unite with Russia and China to prevent the growth of the influence of the New Delhi to Kabul.
And what about the US? The US, which in Afghanistan are still 8,000 servicemen? Well, they at that meeting was not. And as far as we know, can not say that to someone they did not have much there.
In Europe, most notably that the old order collapsed.
In March, an American journalist Anne Applebaum (Anne Applebaum) predicted that by the collapse of the liberal world order can cause the triad of events: Breksa, Trump election and the election of the French presidential candidate Marine Le Pen. Today Breksa and Trump have become a reality, all eyes are on the upcoming presidential elections in France. But Applebaum has not understood that the change does not depend on these three events. The change has already occurred.
Putin – a natural ally
Because if the presidential election did not win Marine Le Pen in France, we can expect that it will make the Republican candidate Francois Fillon. It also means a change of the political system. He, too, with pride and warmth talking about the nation-state, the border is closed, and the French identity.
“We have to minimize immigration. Our country is not a conglomeration of different societies, there is one national identity “, – he said recently at a meeting with voters. According to the New York Times, he also described the radical Islam “totalitarianism, the same as Nazism.”
Like Le Pen, to address NATO had only harsh words, because, in his opinion, the alliance has become a tool of the “American expansionism.” And just like Le Pen, on Putin, he can only say good, because it believes that Putin – a natural ally in the war on terror.
The fight for the presidency in France will not go between globalist and nationalist, here the choice between left and right nationalism, and François Fillon, with its requirement of large-scale public sector cuts – right.
The claim that a liberal world order can resist or fail depending on the choice of certain individuals – Geert Wilders in Holland, Marine Le Pen in France, Frauke Petry from the “Alternative for Germany” in Germany or Heinz-Christian Strache of the “Freedom Party” in Austria – surface. It is a consequence of policies that excessive attention to personalities. Geert Wilders is not even necessary to be elected because the Dutch government is already actively pursuing its policy. The maximum that can offer Heinz-Christian Strache of the “Freedom Party” in Austria – this is a cosmetic change social-democratic coalition government policy, because it is an exact copy of what acts of his own party.
And if Merkel next autumn will be re-elected Chancellor of Germany, it will be more experienced and mature alter ego Frauke Petry from the “Alternative for Germany”. Transformation Merkel has already begun: when it recently re-elected to the presidency of HDZ, she responded to the fact that befell those who covers her face (hijab – ed..) And want to prevent it wherever possible.
This, of course, can be explained by the fact that the protest movement in the West – contrary to widespread belief – not what leads to change. They themselves are the result of changes: in a world where collapsed Pax Americana, and which can no longer distribute their values on others outside the EU, but where you have to use all their strength in order to prevent them to spread their values on us.
The protest movement – a reaction to the fact that we did not make decisions, and that decisions are made about us. Some time ago, we fought with the pirates in the Gulf of Aden and introduced democracy in Iraq; Now we cover the sculpture in Rome when traveling by the president of Iran, and breaks out of the hands of the demonstrators Tibetan flags when coming to Copenhagen Chinese leader.
In this world, the supporters of the old order would have to be overcome: because the old order collapsed. The new order has not yet come to replace the old politics has turned into a big battle: how can we protect ourselves from threats looming over us.
Incompatible civilization
Roughly speaking, the struggle for a future world order is being kulturalistami between the left and the liberals.
According kulturalistov, the world consists of various civilizations that are incompatible with each other. During the Cold War was a struggle between the Christian West and the atheistic Soviet Union. Now we are talking about the struggle between the Christian West and Islamism which threatens to destroy us.
For liberals, the world looks different. According to them, the struggle is not between civilizations but between freedom and unfreedom: between democracy and dictatorship.
These different outlook stem from different views about who is a major player on the world stage.
Naturally, for kulturalistov nation-state – is the alpha and omega. It is a cultural product, enhanced with the help of the special geographical, historical, religious, and political circumstances.
Otherwise, with the liberals who believe that democracy and state of law based on the principles and values, which must all join in the free world, and Muslims too. Therefore, the Liberals want to keep the EU, NATO and other key western forums where democracy all together fighting for the preservation and promotion of these values.
In the past 25 years, these two areas make common cause: because the West was strong enough to dominate, and what it was justified, it was equally important.
But the West is not the same.
Now paths diverged as recently wrote another writer in the Atlantic, Peter Beinart (Peter Beinart): «Ideological and civilizing (in this material liberals and kulturalisty – Ed.). Forces were united in the struggle with the Soviet Union. But they disagree on whether the Russian totalitarian enemy or protector of the Christian West. ”
Pax Americana collapsed. We are not fighting for the others to become like us: we must now fight for something, not to be like them. But the worst thing, in fact, that the first time we can not possibly after the end of World War II, to agree on who are our enemies.
I laid some ground work about this subject many years ago and these winds have changed. Not all the way, but they have changed, just as I watch the winds change as the weather changes. If the wind is from the south, it is warmer than from the north. We are witnessing a wind from the west, changing to a wind from the east. Granted at first it was just a breeze, but it has become a force to reckon with and wind does not just stop, it finds away to get around barriers…
