Washington should not assume that the rest of the world is on its side
US diplomacy suffers a "crisis of confidence" in its international relations
Lula da Silva and Maduro share hostility to Washington. à Reuters
Erdogan is ratcheting up his tone toward the West. à Reuters
DAVOS/SWITZERLAND, 25JAN13 - Fareed Zakaria, Anchor, Fareed Zakaria - GPS, CNN, USA, during the session 'Transformations in the Arab World' at the Annual Meeting 2013 of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, January 25, 2013. .... Copyright by World Economic Forum.... swiss-image.ch/Photo Monika Flueckiger
image
Farid Zakaria
As I watched Turkey's recent general election, I was shocked to hear one of the country's top officials, Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu, speak to a crowd from the balcony, cheerfully, saying that Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan had promised to "harm everyone who causes trouble for Turkey," adding, "This of course includes the U.S. military."
Earlier, Soylu declared that those who "follow a pro-American approach will be considered traitors," given that Turkey is a member of NATO, which has had U.S. bases in the country for nearly 70 years.
Anti-Western rhetoric
Erdogan often uses anti-Western rhetoric heavily. Erdogan may be one of the most extreme leaders in such a situation, but he is not alone. As many commentators have noted, most of the world's population is not allied with the West in its struggle against the war in Ukraine. The war itself has only highlighted a broader phenomenon: many of the largest and most powerful countries in the developing world are increasingly hostile to the West and America.
Lula da Silva criticizes America
When Brazil elected Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva to the presidency last October, many breathed a sigh of relief that mercurial populist leader Jair Bolsonaro had been replaced by a familiar center-left traditional figure. But in his few months in office, Lula has preferred to harshly criticize the West, turn his anger on the dollar's dominance, and claim that Russia and Ukraine are equally to blame for the outbreak and continuation of the war.
A few days ago, Lula hosted Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, whose brutal rule drove millions to flee his country. Lula praised the dictator and criticized Washington for denying Maduro's legitimacy and imposing sanctions on his regime.
Orientation towards Russia and China
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa has a reputation as a pragmatic moderate, business-friendly, and has strong ties to the West, but under his leadership South Africa has swerved closer to the Russian and Chinese orbit. The country has refused to condemn Russia's war in Ukraine, hosted the Russian and Chinese navies for joint exercises, and the United States now accuses it of supplying weapons to Russia, allegations South Africa has denied.
Delhi will not support Washington in its crisis with Beijing
Then there is India, which has made it clear since the beginning of the Ukraine war that it has no intention of standing against Russia, which remains the main supplier of advanced weapons to the Indian army. India's statements about its desire to maintain a balance in its relations between the West and Russia (and even China) have been so numerous that one of the most respected scholars of U.S.-Indian relations, Ashley J. Tillis, wrote an article warning Washington against opposing this, and saying that Washington should not assume that New Delhi will stand by it in any future crisis with Beijing.
The follower rises
What's going' on? Why does the United States have so many problems with so many of the world's largest developing countries? These attitudes are rooted in a phenomenon that she described in 2008 as the "rise of the rest." Over the past two decades, there has been a major shift in the international system. Countries that were once densely populated but poor have moved from the margins to the center stage, and "emerging markets" that once accounted for a tiny share of the global economy now make up half of the cake. That is why we should say that the rest of the world has stepped up.
As these countries have become economically powerful, politically stable, and culturally proud, they have also become more nationalist, and their nationalism is often defined as opposed to the countries that dominate the international system, the West. Many of these states were colonized by Western states, so they retain an instinctive aversion to Western efforts to confine them to an alliance or grouping.
Incredible
Reflecting on this phenomenon in the context of the Ukraine war, Russian expert Fiona Hill points out that the other factor in this mistrust is that these countries do not believe the United States when they hear that they are talking in favor of a rules-based international order. Hill says they see Washington full of "arrogance and hypocrisy." America applies the rules to others but violates them in its numerous military interventions and unilateral sanctions, and urges countries to open up to trade, but violates those principles when they choose.
Ups and downs
This is the new world. It is not the decline of America "but the rise of other people" (as I wrote in 2008). Many nations are now active players on the globe, once pawns on the chessboard, taking their own steps that are often self-served. She will no longer be persuaded or easily adulated, but she must be persuaded by the policies practiced at home, not just by preaching abroad, and navigating in this international arena represents the biggest challenge for American diplomacy.
American journalist and author
Fareed Zakaria:
"Over the past two decades, there has been a major shift in the international system: countries that were once densely populated but poor have moved from the margins to the forefront, and 'emerging markets' that once accounted for a tiny share of the global economy now make up half the cake."
"As developing countries become economically strong, politically stable, and culturally proud, they are also becoming more nationalist, and they retain an instinctive aversion to Western efforts to confine them to an alliance or grouping."
"America applies the rules to others, but it violates them in its numerous military interventions and unilateral sanctions, and it urges countries to open up to trade, but it violates those principles when it chooses to."