Opinion | America should have stepped back and let Europe take care of itself
By Augustus K. Yeung
"You are young yet…but the time will arrive when you will learn to judge for yourself…Believe nothing you hear, and only one half that you see." E. A. Poe, US poet, novelist and critic (1809-49).
Introduction
This bloody, raging war between Ukraine-Russia is too sensational and provocative for contending perspectives other than America's dominant view: It is purely Putin's war of aggression. Or is it?!
Read the following article by Nicholas Ross Smith, an adjunct fellow at the University of Canterbury, Zealand. And you may agonize over the authenticity of Washington's perspective.
There Remains a Point of Significant US-Russia Discord
"The US and Russian have entered 2022 with an apparent desire to find common ground over Ukraine. Not only did US President Joe Biden and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin have a lengthy phone call on December 30, it was also announced that the two sides will hold talks in Geneva on Monday." Mr. Smith starts writing enthusiastically. ("Ukraine-Russia is no long America's problem". South China Morning Post. January 7, 2022)
These are positive signs, given the fear surrounding Russia's intentions in Ukraine, particularly after it amassed some 100,000 troops on the Ukraine border. While this might just be periodical sabre rattling, an intervention by Russia cannot be ruled out (Moscow was brazen enough to annex Crimea, after all).
However, like previous talks and initiatives, a lasting agreement is unlikely to be reached in 2022 because the underlying issue—the lack of an agreed Eastern European security architecture—remains a point of significant discord.
Crudely, a security architecture is "a system of norms, practices, relationships, alliances and institutions constructed or developed by nations to address, enhance or ensure international and/or regional security". In other words, it is an arrangement on how the security should be managed.
The main Western players in this security dilemma—the US and EU—see Eastern Europe as a region for Western engagement. Indeed, after the collapse of the Soviet Union, the European Union and Nato expanded eastward and created something of a material and ideological hegemony in the region.
Ukrainian Conflict Symbolizes Key Change in International Politics
Conversely, for Russia, Eastern Europe is highly sensitive security setting which cannot be dominated by the West. It sees the area as not only geographically close to Moscow but is also culturally, linguistically and historically linked to the Russian civilization.
Ukraine, for what it is worth, tends to agree with the Western viewpoint and believes it should be free to chart its own course—most notably pursuing membership in the EU and Nato. However, Russia has punished it continually for this and, in doing so, has shown that it is prepared to pay a higher cost than either the US or EU.
Importantly, the conflict in Ukraine symbolizes a key change in international politics. While the US remains the world's pre-eminent power, the rise of China and India, coupled with the resurgence of Russia and the evolution of the EU, means the international system is transitioning from one of US dominance to something closer to a "uni-multipolar system".
International System is Transitioning, from one of US Dominance…
This is one in which the US remains the top dog, but other players are more influential than previously.
While the Cold War has become a popular analogy to forecast the global implications of US-China tensions, the contemporary uni-multipolar system is quite different to the bipolar system that sparked the original Cold War.
This time, there will be no bipolar global contest for supremacy, but rather, localized contests for influence between the US and different regional powers.
Eastern Europe, with Ukraine as the epicentre, is one notable flashpoint due to Russia's revisionist aims there. The various regions of the Indo-Pacific super-region are other (potential) flashpoints.
Indeed, given the greater geopolitical and geoeconomics importance of the Indo-Pacific to the US compared to Eastern Europe, it is unsurprising that it has tried to "pivot to Asia". But, the antic of Putin and the Europeans' seeming lack of readiness to manage their own security has kept the US firmly involved.
Unsurprisingly, Washington has censured Europe for its lack of defence spending, while the EU has proven time and again that it is an ineffective international actor—the joke is that, in times of crisis, all the EU can do is express how "concerned" it is.
Europe Should Not be the US' Problem…
Yet, Europe should not be the US' problem and its continued presence there is not only somewhat paternalistic (which creates dependence), it also distorts the power dynamics of greater Europe, making Eastern Europe an unstable corridor.
The potential for Europe to develop its own strategic autonomy should not be dismissed as a pipe dream. French President Emmanuel Macron has spoken of a desire for an EU army and even of pursuing rapprochement with Russia.
If the new German chancellor, Olaf Scholz, agrees with Macron, there would be the impetus for Europe to seek greater security and defence integration.
"Ultimately, Washington should encourage such a move. However, it seems the United States has not moved on from its "unipolar moment" and still believes it needs to be at the forefront of global security challenges—a kind of strategic narcissism." Sums up Mr. Smith. ("Ukraine-Russia crisis is no longer America's problem". South China Morning Post. Friday, January 7, 2022)
Conclusion
Why isn't Joe Biden finding pragmatic ways of balancing the growing demands of revisionists like Russia with its own evolving interest, rather than blindly attempting to maintain the status quo?
This is a thought-provoking question; one that only Biden can answer. At this moment when the Western world's fingers are pointing at Putin, and not America, a silent accomplished aggressor—with its invisible hand in the White House, the world can only watch as two Easter European "brothers" kill each other.
A helpless China can only lament, "How sad!"
The author is a freelance writer; formerly Adjunct Lecturer, taught MBA Philosophy of Management, and International Strategy, and online columnist of 3-D Corner (HKU SPACE), University of Hong Kong.
The views do not necessarily reflect those of DotDotNews.
Read more articles by Augustus K. Yeung:
Opinion | Ukrainian President—a former comedian—is now staging a world-class Shakespearean tragedy
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