daniel chigunweNow, as in a photographic film that was placed in a developer (if anyone else remembers), the essence of the model of international relations, nurtured by the West for all five centuries of its existence and called the “unipolar world” in the last three decades, is being revealed.
All this time we were told about democracy and freedom of choice, human rights regardless of race, nationality and religion, about the market in the economy and the inadmissibility of its politicisation, about the independence of the media and the lack of control of social networks. In general, about the fact that the liberal idea rules the world by itself, and the corresponding state machines have nothing to do with it (like, according to Berdyaev, “the state does not exist to turn earthly life into paradise, but to prevent it will finally turn into hell).
But no. All this time, the West has been turning the life into a boundless paradise only for itself. The rest were invited to stay in a kind of pen, the limits of which were determined by the same West (“what is allowed to Jupiter is not allowed to a bull”) and where, like tamed animals, these others were allowed to “freely” pluck the sprouted grass and even “freely” gain weight , as long as they remain within the fence, installed and controlled from the outside.
The Ukrainian plot clearly demonstrated the world “based on rules”. When the “only right” choice is allowed, when only those who choose “correctly” have rights, when free trade for their own is shamelessly replaced by sanctions regimes for those who are not, and the media and social networks turn out to be only manipulators, and even outright fake throwers in the interests of Western states.
What is happening is not based on liberal values and democratic freedoms. It is based on the desire of the West for exclusivity, for the right to rule the world uncontrollably and unaccountably. Alas, to the shame of Western and Central Europe, they considered the best way for herself to expand their own limits to enter the American sphere of influence. For which the Europe is suffering now, unlike the US.
At the centre of world problems are the unstoppable claims of the United States for world domination. The difference between the American interpretation of sovereignty and the generally accepted one is that for Americans this is a one-way street. The US borders are closed to the outside world, any unauthorised crossing — physical or virtual — is perceived as a crime and punished with all ruthlessness. At the same time, Americans are transcending their borders and invading the sovereignty of other states, sincerely believing that the whole world belongs to them. And the Americans perceive the exit of any other states beyond their own borders and their own sovereignty as a defeat of their sovereignty and their interests.
What is happening today in Ukraine is Russia’s going beyond the geopolitical enclosure prepared for it by the West. Yes, this is border crossing. But this is not a demolition of the “fence”, but a breakthrough to “our own”. Not in the sense of capturing neighbouring territories, but in the sense of reuniting with like-minded people. In a narrower sense — with the Russians in the South-East. In a broader sense — with all the “others” who are not agreeing to stay in the stall for pasture.
The fight was inevitable, we were left with no freedom of choice. Sooner or later everything will end, I believe that — for the better. The world will definitely not be the same as it was built for the last thirty years. But the lesson from what happened, painful for everyone, I am sure, will be healing and long-lasting. I hope that in this world the rights of people, democracy and the rule of law will be truly guaranteed for all countries and peoples without exception, and not just for the elite. That in this world international law for trade and economic relations will be guaranteed, banking assets and property rights will be really protected, there will be unlimited freedom of movement and unlimited freedom of speech, there will be art and sports without politics. And most importantly, there will be no selectivity in the application of these principles and no extraterritoriality for any of the states, even the strongest.
And from now on, and forever, we will remember the current hypocritical rhetoric of the West about the inadmissibility of the use of force in interstate relations, about sovereignty and non-interference in the internal affairs of other peoples, about protecting the civilian population, and so on.
They talked years and decades ahead. Everything is fixed. Nothing is forgotten. The world will definitely no longer be the way our geopolitical opponents built it for themselves, to whom we have been offering legally formalised partnership and alliance all these years. And that’s already good.
Online Reporter