Created with the help of Gemini AI
The Twenty-First Century has heralded a serious change in the conducting of warfare and diplomacy. Most of the changes were actually happening for the fifty years before that, but now they have become obvious.
One basic premise that has changed in international politics is the ages-old practice of making allies of those who think like us.
Superpowers Are More Alike Than Different
The Cold War ideological difference between capitalism and communism has evaporated. The United States is no longer a stalwart champion of fairness and equity. China enslaves the Uyghurs. US puts immigrants in concentration camps. China wants Taiwan. Russia tries to take over its neighbors. US threatens its NATO allies and supports a nation involved in genocide.
US is a sham democracy run by oligarchs. Russia is a one-man dictatorship. China is a collective dictatorship.
Morals, ethics, and political philosophy no longer drive diplomacy. Free Enterprise is the game, and billionaires and national governments are the players. “Not fair” is the complaint of a loser. This is the business world, and economic power is all that counts.
War Is Going out of Fashion
The writing is on the wall for all to see. Two superpowers have each taken on one small country and discovered that even if they throw their whole arsenal at it, they can’t win.
Competition
None of these government types is much better than any other. If China will give us a better deal, why shouldn’t we deal with them? The superpowers have played their ideological game for so long they take their ethical advantages for granted. If they found themselves on a more even playing field where success is determined by goods and services provided, they might treat their customers with a little more respect.
NATO was formed to protect the North Atlantic countries from aggression. United states has recently threatened aggression against two NATO countries. I can see a NATO without the United States. If Canada falls into the false security of America’s “Golden Dome,” we might find ourselves cuddled up in a nice, cosy den with a grizzly. Perhaps the solution to our Arctic sovereignty is to negotiate the boundaries and sea lanes with Russia and China. That would make the Americans sit up and take notice.
The Bottom Line
If the superpowers want to base world diplomacy on economic power, they need to revisit the idea of customer relations. You can’t bully customers who have alternative sources of goods and services. If America wants to maintain its leadership role, it needs to start acting like a leader. If the middle powers want to use their advantage, they need to stop being so picky about who their friends are.