Throughout the history of human collectives, political leadership, almost invariably, was predicated on raw power. All embracing humanity, as an objective, was hardly the substance of leadership relying on raw power. Common sense, integrity, justice, empathy, humility, etc. did not feature prominently in the psyche of raw power operators. As a corollary; all empires, without exception, displayed aggression towards less fortunate nations and peoples. The current declining empire is no different. Here we are talking about the empire with capital E, i.e., the USA! Another axiom; all empires ultimately decline. Coherence or the lack of it, is one of the symptoms of a fast declining empire. The petty bickering and embarrassingly clownish demeanor of the political leadership within the prevailing hegemon testify to its accelerating demise! Another feature of a declining empire is denial. No wonder the honchos of empire have become quite oblivious to the sea of change that is taking place in the world system!
On the other hand, ascending countries dismantling the old order know, almost always, where the declining empire’s raw power lie. In the current context, the reserve currency status (petrodollar) of the US dollar is one such formidable strength. If that privileged is withdrawn, due to multifarious challenges posed by ascending collectives, the raw power of the reigning empire will diminish, literally speaking! In this regard, China and Russia along with countries like Iran are cautiously but meticulously rearranging with a view to dismantling the prevailing world order. Amongst the top Chinese political leadership, capitalism is not considered an end on its own, but only a means to achieve socialism or a king of social democracy. In the words of the Chinese leader, Xi; ‘China should study contemporary capitalism, its essence and patters, but Marxism should remain the guiding light.’ To many, not only a simpleton, this might sound a bit perplexing. The fact that today’s China is the biggest capitalist economy in the world (PPP) doesn’t change the fact that its ultimate objective is to create an equitable and harmonious state, with or without capitalism. China, a country that employed capitalist methods to propel itself to the apex of the world system, still considers itself a novice when it comes to understanding capitalism. That says a lot about the general attitude of its political leadership. Respect for knowledge cements perennial modesty. Pomposity cannot and will not convey wisdom, as its shallow glaring remains unsubstantiated. Africa’s learned/credentialed elites should take note! ‘Only modesty groomed and cultivated with deep knowledge can come to our rescue! “Forty years of reform and opening up has made it possible for our people to lead decent, even comfortable lives. It’s my conviction that the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation will become a reality.’ Xi remarked.
Another historic fact that should be recognized when discussing emerging global leadership is; Russia is too solid a country to intimidate, let alone dismantle. The boisterous shallow thinking that permeates political engagements in the west, particularly in regards to Russia, is misleading. As the rest of humanity becomes increasingly aware of the machinations of the ‘deep state’, exodus from the camp of the downtrodden is accelerating. For instance, the quagmire in the Middle East that is/was intentionally created by the deep state of the west is now unraveling. The Russians (directly) and the Chinese (indirectly) are making sure unbridled chaos won’t become the reigning order of the region. Even the oil kingdoms are gradually realizing their callously destructive ambitions are not going to help anyone. Turkey is now squarely against NATO’s policy towards Russia and China; another key country shifting alliances. Emerging multipolar geopolitics has grown teeth!
On the other hand, western approach to continents like Africa remains the same. NATO, after destroying Libya, is eying control of other nations’ resources. The neighboring countries of Mali, Niger, Chad, et al, have, amongst other things, uranium, gold and oil. France, Germany and of course the US, are increasing their military presence in the region, using all kinds of pretexts. AFRICOM (the African Command of the US military) is set up to secure the continent’s natural resources for the western world, thereby restricting or even denying resource access to other emerging powers. The consent of the large majority of these countries’ inhabitants is not to be considered, at least not seriously. That is why many are calling this new western offensive as ‘Scramble for Africa-Round II (Julius Nyerere). At the same time, China, who is flexing its muscle on the continent, prefer the old ‘give and take’ approach, which seems to work, at least for the time being. One way or the other, the continuous intransigence of empire, coupled with its military arrogance, will not be without costs! Djibouti is already swarming with ‘boots’ from western countries. China has also made its military foray to the continent via Djibouti. This is bound to spell trouble in the region. Unfortunately, the continent’s incompetent politicos, advised by learned useless/useful idiots, are bound to make Africa’s situation worse than it already is!
It is clear where potential global leadership is heading. It is certainly not towards the direction of the old powers, like the US, UK, France, etc. On their part, these countries are desperately trying to bring back what has already been lost! Their weapon of choice, yet again, is violence and more violence. Compromise with foresight, is not a strategy pursued by their political establishments.