It feels like there was always kind of a political gap between the United States and it's other Western allies. This was true even decades ago, when was a child. There were countries which we considered allies, yet there seemed to be some kind of tension lying underneath the surface goodwill. This was true of Japan, which while considered an ally, was also viewed as a rival, particularly in terms of economics. It also felt true off France, which often felt like a political rival, such as when they refused to allow American military aircraft to fly over French airspace when they were on their way to bombing Libya back in the mid-80's.
However, those tensions were relatively modest. But they have widened and grown far more serious over the course of recent years and decades. This started to feel more obvious during the administration of George W. Bush, and particularly his desire to invade Iraq. Most of the rest of the world stood opposed to this action, on the grounds that there was no evidence that Saddam Hussein's regime - evil or not - had anything to do with the 9/11 attacks, and that there was not sufficient evidence that it actually did possess Weapons of mass Destruction (WMD's), which was the main justification used for advocating an invasion and regime change. As it turns out, the United States invaded and instituted a regime change, but the WMD's just were not there. Also, the promises of quick and decisive victory in Iraq began to feel like empty promises, if not outright betrayal, once the war deteriorated into a quagmire. Also, many outside of the United States, including other Western allies, were troubled with the holding of suspected terrorists without trial at Guantanamo Bay. Speaking of Cuba, Bush's stance there also went against what most of the world believed to be the correct position.
Then during the Obama years, there was the whole drone attack controversy, when Obama launched attacks that most of the rest of the world felt were illegal and an abuse of power, tantamount to murder. Also, there was the whole controversy with American surveillance of countries which we had traditionally regarded as allies, particularly Germany (the leading member of the European Union).
Of course, the Trump years were when this gap became more like a canyon. Within hours of first meeting with Trump for the first time, several leaders of European nations - including Germany, the biggest - declared to their citizens that the United States could no longer be considered a reliable partner. For someone who claimed that his leadership would command respect around the world, this obvious failure was too conveniently overlooked by many, particularly by Trump supporters. Trump withdrew the United States from the Paris Climate Accord, and terminated numerous weapons agreements with Russia. Despite Trump's claims that everyone loved him, his approval ratings in Europe were, across the board, quite remarkably low.
To be sure, there have always been political differences. Mostly, many of our allies could not understand some of our seemingly backwards domestic policies. The United States stands alone among industrialized nations for not observing affordable, quality healthcare as a human right. It also stands alone among industrialized nations for not guaranteeing new mothers paid maternity leave. There is more skepticism of the reality of climate change here in the United States than any other industrialized nation, and this has translated into political stances and a general inaction that is far greater than those of other Western nations.
Now, here we are. Biden is president, but once again, the American stance on some issues still stands in stark opposition to much of the Western world. There still is little action on climate change. Domestically, healthcare and paid maternity leave are still major issues in which the United States basically voluntarily lags behind the rest of the industrialized world. And Trump seems to have a real chance of winning the 2024, with his seeming isolationist policies.
Out of necessity, much of the rest of the world is trying increasingly to work around the United States. Most people know that the BRICS alliance (between Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa) has already been cooperating to try and move the world economy away from an Americentrist stance. Now, even the Western countries appear to be making alliances among themselves, in order to try and work around the perceived obstacle of the United States. As this article points out, three Western countries - Britain, Italy, and Japan, respectively - are cooperating and working together to build new fighter jets. And there is persistent talk among European nations of creating a“European Defence Union.” All of this, of course, without the United States.
Many citizens of other Western nations do not understand American political trends and overall political thinking. And with now decades of history - some of which I already mentioned here - now serving as proof, they indeed seem to increasingly feel that they need to recognize that the United States really cannot be relied upon as a stable political partner. Why would they? Take a look at the realities of the overall political trend in recent decades. Trump may have been the most obvious and clear polarizing figure, as he is domestically. Yet if anything, he represents more of a continuation of certain policies and political trends which, in fact, have been growing for many decades now. Gone are the days when American leaders seemingly even pretend to value what was claimed as the United States being the "leader of the free world" and "the last best hope" for the world. These days, nobody really even believes those things anymore.
So probably, other Western nations need to start recognizing this reality. The sooner they do it, the better. Because the political divide is real, and it is growing. Indeed, it is beginning to resemble a canyon these days. And there is no obvious figure on the horizon who looks capable, or even intent, on bridging that particular divide.
Below is a link to the article by Ivor Roberts of The Telegraph from just a couple of days ago. It is the one which got me on this topic to begin with:
The Telegraph The Telegraph The West is preparing for a future without America Story by Ivor Roberts • 16 Dec 2023:
Fears over Trump isolationism, alliances with Pacific nations and Biden's recent remarks on Israel signal Europe may soon not need the US
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2023/12/15/the-west-is-preparing-for-a-future-without-america/
The West is preparing for a future without America (msn.com)
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/the-west-is-preparing-for-a-future-without-america/ar-AA1lyDzC?ocid=entnewsntp&cvid=bc5990da5d9e42b2a1bbcc587c621edf&ei=18
No comments:
Post a Comment