20 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY NOVEMBER 9-15, 2023 www.montereycountyweekly.com World Disorder American foreign policy goals rely on an outdated model of global dominance. By Michael T. Klare FORUM “From around the world, they come to the halls of power in Washington seeking one thing: a commitment from the American government to protect their countries in a time of rising geopolitical crises,” The New York Times observed on Oct. 27. It is true that the Biden administration helped engineer Finland’s membership in NATO and has boosted its arms exports to allies in Europe and Asia, as the Times reported. But does any of this translate into greater U.S. influence and prestige in the world? Hardly. Alienated by what is perceived as growing U.S. arrogance and hypocrisy, an ever-larger share of the non-Western world is seeking alternatives to the U.S.- dominated “rules-based international order,” one more attuned to the needs and ambitions of the Global South. Unless Washington finds a way to embrace these aspirations constructively, it will soon find itself shunned by much of the world, or overtaken by more adept rivals, such as India and China. For the most part, U.S. leaders view the Global South as an afterthought in international relations. But the developing world’s demands for a greater say in the management of global affairs have been gaining momentum for some time. In 2009, for example, Brazil, China, India and Russia (the BRICs) agreed to meet on a regular basis and devise plans for accelerated “South-South” economic cooperation. (South Africa later joined, formalizing it as the BRICS.) For Washington, however, the most pressing challenge has been countering the threat to U.S. dominance posed by a rising China. At their most recent summit, leaders of the BRICS agreed to add six new members—Argentina, Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. The 11 members of the enlarged group, now BRICS+, will encompass 45 percent of the world’s population, possess 44 percent of the world’s proven oil reserves, and produce about one-third of its food. This is a bloc that cannot be ignored. President Biden opened his Oct. 19 speech on Israel and Ukraine by declaring, “We’re facing an inflection point in history.” From his perspective, this means that Congress and the American people—along with key allies—must support his last-gasp effort to preserve (his version of) the rules-based order against its multiplying enemies. But a correct understanding of this moment would be that Biden’s U.S.- centric order is now broken and alternative governing models are proliferating. Unless the U.S. engages in this process and adopts a less domineering role, it will soon find itself sidelined in a world where other voices carry more weight. The U.S. should partner with Brazil, India, Indonesia and other leaders of the Global South in developing a more egalitarian and pluralistic world order, one in which those countries play a greater role in global governance and the needs and aspirations of their peoples are accorded greater priority in setting the global agenda. Michael T. Klare is The Nation’s defense correspondent, professor emeritus at Hampshire College and a senior fellow at the Arms Control Association. OPINION “We’re facing an inflection point in history.” PRESENTED BY
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