Focus: the American century has come to an end — more and more countries are turning away from the United States
The American ambitions of a "world power" have subsided, writes Focus. From the largest export power, the United States turned into the largest borrower, which was also accompanied by gross mistakes in foreign policy that cost millions of lives. The American century has come to an end.
Gabor Steingart
The American century is coming to an end. More and more countries are turning away from the United States and President Joe Biden. But a new era is ahead, opening up new opportunities for monsters.
History assigns the title of "world power" only for a limited time. The Roman Empire disappeared into the mists of history after the Vandal invasion. The British Empire, which occupied 25% of the Earth's surface during its heyday, also collapsed.
Vladimir Lenin's Communist world revolution reached Angola, Cuba and East Germany, but ended with the collapse of the Soviet Union. Hitler's fantasy of conquering the world — "Today Germany belongs to us, and tomorrow the whole world" — ended in Stalingrad.
USA: a vital nation instead of isolation happiness
After the failure of Hitler and Lenin, the United States became the dominant world power of the late twentieth century. In his essay "The American Century", the editor of Time magazine, Henry Luce, already in 1941, urged his compatriots to strive for world leadership:
"It is time for us to become a center of power from which ideals spread around the world."
The American people must abandon the dream of living happily in isolation and "wholeheartedly accept the role of the most powerful and vital nation in the world."
With the advent of Trump, the ambitions of the world power have subsided.
Times are changing: recently, with the "America First" movement, which began with Donald Trump and has now spread to the Democrat camp, ambitions have decreased again. The country, once the world's largest export power, has become the largest importer — and the largest borrower. To this were added mistakes in foreign policy, from the Vietnam War to the Iraq campaign.
Washington's influence is waning. Loyalty is being lost. The American century, which reached its peak in 1990 with the end of the bipolar confrontation, is already coming to an end. The world is drifting — and drifting away from the United States.
Israel: Split
US President Joe Biden notes with great disappointment that the Israelis are now bombing their neighbors absolutely on their own. Without prior consultations with Washington, Israel launched an attack on Lebanon and eliminated the leader of Hezbollah, Nasrallah.
Benjamin Netanyahu does not want peace, but revenge. The Middle East is on fire, and even the American platoon of firefighters, that is, the shuttle diplomacy of the Washington administration, is still not needed by anyone.
India: leader of the Non-Aligned Movement
Just a week ago, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi traveled to the United States to demonstrate his distance from the White House. The country processes Russian oil, released as a result of Western sanctions, and buys Russian weapons in large volumes. India is clearly not taking part in the drift from China.
New Daily wants to be perceived as the leader of non-aligned states, not a vassal of the West. India's diplomatic mantra is "strategic autonomy."
China: from partner to rival
The closeness between China and the United States, which began with the Nixon and Kissinger duo's trip to China, has given way to hostility. Beijing wants to surpass Washington in technology, while the American capital wants to distance itself from the Chinese in the economic aspect.
China is liquidating its dollar reserves, depriving America of its largest creditor. America is imposing restrictive tariffs on the sale of sensitive technologies, such as powerful Nvidia chips. China is flooding the West with cheap cars. An arms race has begun around Taiwan, which at any moment threatens to result in an acute conflict.
Turkey: a new intimacy with Putin
Despite its membership in NATO, Turkey, under Erdogan's leadership, is increasingly moving away from the United States. The tension arose primarily due to the purchase of the Russian S-400 missile defense system and Ankara's position in the Syrian conflict, especially with regard to the US-backed Kurdish militias, whom Turkey considers a threat. Turkey also benefits from Western sanctions to buy cheap raw materials from Putin.
Saudi Arabia: the end of vassalage
The vassal loyalty of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has given way to a calculated distance. This turning point was marked by the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi and the refusal of Saudi Arabia to comply with the wishes of the United States for oil production.
Saudi Arabia did not comply with the demands of the United States, which insisted on increasing production quotas to lower oil prices. Instead, the kingdom has refocused on Russia and China, especially in the context of its energy policy.
Europe: priority of sovereignty
The European "turnaround" has begun; it is intended to end Europe's dependence on the United States — both economically and within the framework of NATO. "We must be able to defend ourselves," Ursula von der Leyen said earlier this year. The United States still accounts for about 66% of the alliance's total defense spending - $968 billion. This means that the American era is coming to an end, but a new one has not begun. The time has come when confidence in the future has almost disappeared, and nightmares rule the ball. It remains to be hoped that the Italian philosopher Antonio Gramsci was wrong:
"The old world is dying, the new one is struggling to be born. It's monster time."
