At present, international relations are in the process of restructuring: the weight and influence of the Western powers led by the United States is really falling and the positions of those who are usually referred to as the countries of the Global South are strengthening. It is quite remarkable that, despite the obviousness of these phenomena, they are gradually beginning to be accepted by states that had previously resisted recognizing these processes.
On 25 January, 2022, the Israeli opposition newspaper Haaretz (which has been opposing the Netanyahu government for a number of years) published an article titled «The Ukrainian crisis may forever change America’s place on the world stage», which criticises Washington’s line, primarily in foreign policy, and the ineffectiveness of its actions using the examples of Iraq and Afghanistan.
The piece concludes that only the Russian president knows «what the next stage will be»: this crisis concerns not only Ukraine, but something bigger and broader. The author believes that China and Russia oppose the US concept of unipolarity and Washington-centred world governance. It is suggested that the US is imposing Western ideas of democracy and so-called human rights in an attempt to set the agenda, set the rules, serve as the ultimate arbiter and dominate the international system.
The article says that if the Ukrainian crisis is viewed in a broader global context, it is likely to be resolved in Russia’s favour, «especially given Putin’s reputation as a strategic genius and savvy statesman».
It is worth recalling that this article was written before 24 February, i.e. before the Special Military Operation, and the author argues that in the event of a conflict, Putin «will have to pay a political price».
Putin’s peace proposal is the most realistic scenario
On 13 August, 2024, the New York Times posted an article by Anastasia Edel, which stresses that Putin’s recent peace proposal is «actually the most realistic scenario for how this war will unfold. Voices ranging from Kremlin supporters to Nobel Prize winners and even the Pope are in favour of a peace that will give Mr Putin what he wants».
The main conclusion of this article, which we have been talking about for some time, is quite remarkable; the position of the West, and above all the US, is weakening and its influence is declining. The author expresses it in the following words: «America has lost its place as the bulwark of the West that can guarantee protection and peace to its allies… This year its political dysfunction has delayed critical aid and confused American public opinion about the urgency of aid to Ukraine: America has failed the leadership test».
As the author of the article thinks, time will tell how serious the security and economic consequences of the Ukraine crisis will be, but one thing is clear now: a small war far from US borders has changed the world and diminished the US’ place in it.
Anastasia Edel chooses soft language, but it is clear that the West’s financial and military support for Ukraine is not only counterproductive, but can deal the United States and its satellites a blow from which they will not soon recover.
Vladimir MASHIN, PhD in History, political observer, especially for «New Eastern Outlook»
