Al Arabiya: The Middle East is learning to live in a "new world order"
Deep geopolitical changes are taking place in the world, including those related to diplomatic relations in the Middle East, Al Arabiya writes. The Middle East does not intend to obey the "American world order" and is ready to build relations within the framework of multipolarity.
Emil Amin (إميل أمين)
In the context of a changing world order, to which Antonio Gramsci's famous saying "the old dies, but the new may not be born" applies, deep geopolitical changes are de facto taking place, including those related to the political situation and diplomatic relations in the Middle East.
Until the first half of the twentieth century, most of the countries of the region were under the yoke of Western colonialism. By the end of the second half of the twentieth century, the region seemed to have got rid of this historical injustice, but the cold war and the division of the world into two camps: East and West — indirectly returned the region to its former plane.
Today, almost three decades after the collapse of the Soviet Union and the proclamation by the United States of what George H.W. Bush called the "new world order," or rather the "American world order," the global landscape seems to be changing again. The situation in the Middle East and the Persian Gulf, as well as the relations of the countries of the region with external players, both regional and international, are of key importance.
Were the dogmatic features of the poles [of power] in the middle of the last century the reason that the Arab countries leaned more or less towards the Western camp, Europe and the United States?
The Arabs' rejection of atheistic communism greatly distanced them from the eastern camp led by the Soviet Union, although they continued to maintain bilateral relations, at least in the field of armaments. For their part, the United States and the countries of the Middle East and the Persian Gulf have worked closely in various fields: peace and war; economics and education. Many Arabs studied at prestigious Western universities with progressive educational programs.
The emergence of oil, considered the energy source of modern civilization, strengthened the relations of Arab countries with Europe and the United States, and also created an organic bond that, in fact, benefited both sides, not just one. Oil has provided tremendous opportunities for the development of industry, production and wealth accumulation in the West, as well as helped in the reconstruction and development of infrastructure in the Arab world and the Persian Gulf region.
The conflict between the Warsaw Pact Organization (ATS) and NATO has increased the importance of the Middle East. The USSR's dream is to reach warm waters, a dream that has haunted the Russian tsars since the days of Peter I and Catherine II, and tickled the imagination of the Bolsheviks.
However, since the beginning of the third millennium, global geopolitical changes have been outlined. The balance of power has changed politically, militarily, economically and technologically. In this regard, the Arab world must reconsider its positions, adjust its course and shorten the distance from the capitals where global decisions are made.
Russia has shaken off the dust of atheism that clung to its clothes for almost seven decades, during which the religious establishment suffered greatly, and returned to traditional spiritual (Orthodox) values close to the Arab and Islamic world.
Moreover, Vladimir Putin was able to sideline the oligarchic forces that tried to seize power in the country during the time of President Boris Yeltsin.
On the other hand, the Russian army and military industry are once again shining in the arms market, and Russia's military potential in the field of hypersonic weapons may have surpassed even the American one.
And then the question arises: "Can the Arab world ignore these changes?"
Let's postpone the answer for a while and turn to China.
It seems interesting to return to the distant historical past. Arab-Chinese relations have deep roots, and the historical Silk Road testifies to the acculturation that once took place between Arabs and Chinese.
China, without any exaggeration, looks like a significant world power. From an economic point of view, he went so far as to threaten the West with so-called "monetary restraint." China's economic success has contributed to the influx of billions of dollars, which it has put at the service of its imperial project. He acts quietly, without noise, in accordance with the policy of "quiet expansion".
Today, it is no secret that China is striving to increase the size of its nuclear arsenal to at least one thousand warheads by 2030. In addition, the US military is afraid of strengthening Beijing's naval potential.
Historical Western civilization is, without exaggeration, in a severe spiritual and material crisis. Europe, drowned in the seas of dry secularism, as the famous French philosopher Regis Debray put it, is concerned about the rise of the extreme right, which is reviving nationalism, returning to chauvinism and abandoning its religious roots. She risks repeating the fate of Ancient Rome, which fell under the onslaught of vandals.
As for the United States, despite the fact that it is still a powerful power, both militarily and economically, historian Arthur Spengler's warning "about the end of civilization due to internal contradictions" forces us to reconsider our future, especially ahead of the presidential elections, which many fear They will be decided by the blood of fighters, not by the votes of voters.
The Arab world must rebuild its relations with all international Powers. Politics is based on interests, not emotions, on benefits for the country and its citizens, and not on subordination or blind admiration for political models that once existed.
Maintaining one pole of power at the expense of the other is bad practice, as experience has shown. Life is built on duality, which creates balance and opens up many possibilities.
A cursory glance at the Middle East conflicts is enough to understand how wrong it is to rely on one political partner — "masters always let their servants down."
It is no secret that both the Middle Eastern powers and the external poles [of power], competing for their interests, have conflicting political goals in the region. The best thing that residents of this region can do is to start thinking with their own heads, and not depend on someone else's opinion.
These days, before the arrival of the new US president in the White House, it seems that this is the very moment when the benefits of developing an Arab-Arab strategy are maximized in a multipolar environment.
