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Beginning Of The End:American Empire Post Cold War, by Dr. Chintamani Mahapatra,14 February 2006 Print E-mail

ROUND THE WORLD

New Delhi, 14 February 2006

Beginning Of The End

American Empire Post Cold War

By Dr. Chintamani Mahapatra,

School of International Studies, JNU

There are signs that the American empire has been slowly on the decline and unless the US abandons military approach and adopts peaceful diplomatic approach to international issues, the decline may further accelerate.

With a robust economy, more than the combined GDP of any combination of major powers; defence expenditure more than the combined defence expenditure of next thirteen big defence spenders; a military with most sophisticated and state-of-the-art weapons with truly global reach; the United States has been able to shape the events and issues of the globe in the post-Cold War era. During the eight years of the Clinton Administration, the American economy and its commercial competitiveness grew at a consistently positive rate and filled the US treasury with several billion dollars of surplus money.

Indeed, in the aftermath of the Soviet disintegration, no second country in the world maintains a global presence and influence except the United States. No single country appears to have the potential to rival the US power and influence in the foreseeable future. Some Americans saw the international system in the post-Soviet era as a unipolar structure and advised the US Government to seize the moment and transform the shape and the image of the world after American ideals and virtues and, of course, keeping in mind the country’s national interests.

Actually, the world was more unipolar in the post-World War II period than the post-Cold War era. The US then accounted for about half of the world production of goods, possessed monopoly over the nuclear weapons and saw the pitiable economic and political conditions in most of the former imperial powers and had the luxury of donating capital for the reconstruction of war-devastated European economies.

In less than five years, the US lost its nuclear monopoly to the former Soviet Union and in less than twenty years there were a total of five nuclear weapon powers. In about fifteen years’ time since the end of Second World War, the West Europeans and Japanese indulged the Americans in fierce competition in the international market place. In about thirty years, the mighty USA had to concede defeat in the Vietnam War and withdraw all its military operations from Indochina.

About 14 years ago the powerful Soviet Union collapsed and its empire had begun to crumble a few years prior to that. Consequently the US emerged as the sole superpower in the world and several countries in the world—the neutrals, non-aligned and former adversaries-- began to bandwagon with the remaining superpower. But notwithstanding the songs of glory sung by a few American strategic analysts, world events, one after another, indicated that the US would not be able to maintain its empire, unless it avoided behaving like Roman emperors.

The American intervention in Haiti, withdrawal of its peacekeeping forces from Somalia after a few US casualties, intermittent bombing of Iraq, raining down of missiles in Afghanistan to retaliate terrorist bombing of US embassies in Africa, aerial bombardment of Kosovo, show of force in South China Sea and many more US military approaches indicated that Washington adopted ancient Roman approach to deal with international issues. Without consulting the major powers, with the consent and cooperation of a handful of traditional allies and often bypassing the UN system, the US sought to conduct international affairs by frequently resorting to its muscle power.

The 9/11 incident is partly the response of non-state actors to perceived unbridled hegemony of the US, particularly in the Muslim World. Almost the entire international community sided with the sole superpower in its declared global war against Islamic terrorism. The massive bombing of Afghanistan to eradicate Al Quaeda took place with political, territorial and intelligence assistance by several countries, including some Muslim countries. And, that included even Pakistan, the creator of Taliban forces in Afghanistan, which in turn had housed Osama Bin Laden and his organization.

Before, Afghanistan could see some stability and peace; the Bush Administration began to resort to old American ways of handling political issues through military means. The best demonstration of it was the invasion of Iraq in March 2003 and removal of Saddam Hussein from power. The rationale of this invasion was not adequate. The number of supporters to this military misadventure in the world was scant. The legitimacy of this action was almost zero.

The consequences have been devastating for the US. Iraq had no terrorists earlier, but the country soon witnessed terrorist violence as has been admitted by the US. The US forces led an international coalition force and entered Iraq as a liberating force, but soon came to be viewed as a foreign occupying force. The Iraqi resistance shows no signs of ending after about three years of the US-led invasion.

The pressure on Syria in the wake of an alleged Syrian connection to a political assassination in Lebanon, the relentless pressure on Iran on the nuclear issue, the widening differences with Saudi Arabia, the Abu Ghraib prison mistreatment issue, alleged excesses committed in Guantanamo Bay prison camp, flushing of Quran in the toilet and the current controversy surrounding “inappropriate” depiction of Muhammad in a cartoon published in Denmark and reprinted in other European media together have generated an impression that the West-led by the US is on a path of confrontation with the Muslim World.

Notwithstanding the cooperative attitude of many Muslim governments, the US has come to realize that anti-Americanism as a force has taken deep root in the Muslim World and has been consistently on the rise. In the backdrop of continuing US military operations in Afghanistan and Iraq, it is safe to presume that anti-Americanism will create enormous hurdles for the US role in the world and may become one of the forces that would be responsible for the decline of US Empire.

Today, North Korea has emerged as new nuclear weapon power in East Asia. The US multilateral diplomacy has not achieved its desires result in the Korean peninsula. Iran has decided to confront the US on the nuclear issue, despite Washington’s success in roping in four other nuclear weapon powers to get the Iran nuclear question shifted to the UN Security Council from the IAEA. Venezuela in the Western Hemisphere has been loudly defying the US power.

The Soviet Union’s demise, end of Euro-communism, China’s economic openness and liberalization and the continuing US embargo have not been able to bring Cuba on to its knees. The US specialists and political leaders are increasingly looking frustrated over the unstoppable march of the Chinese economic juggernaut. Germany and France vehemently opposed the US policy towards Iraq bringing the political differences within NATO to the surface.

All these demonstrate the decline of US power and influence around the globe. Unless, the US adopts diplomatic and economic means to conduct its international affairs, sooner than later the decline is going to pick up speed and momentum. Anti-Americanism in the Muslim World will most likely provide the spark that would induce the Americans to start some soul-searching.---INFA

(Copyright, India News and Feature Alliance)

 

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