resistanceSince the Cold War, relations between world powers have become more tense than ever. The army is gathering on the border between Russia and Ukraine. Chinese warships and planes publicly threatened Taiwan. In response, Japan is rearming its arms. Turkey is renewing its belligerent attitude towards neighboring countries. Russia Support the division of East and West in Bosnia.
Britain’s place in all this is unclear, drifting in a sea of Boris Johnson’s posture and clichés. The Royal Navy currently has an aircraft carrier worth 3.2 billion pounds, waving a joint flag in the South China Sea, completely unprotected. China can sink it in an hour. In the Black Sea, a British destroyer provocatively invaded Russian waters near Crimea, showing off to the world media. Last week, British Foreign Secretary Liz Truss rode a tank in Esonia to advance her campaign for party leadership. Warn russia Britain “resolutely” opposes its “malicious activities” in Ukraine. At the same time, the outgoing British Secretary of Defense Sir Nick Carter estimates that the risk of unexpected war with Russia is now ” Highest in decades“.
There is no evidence that these initiatives have a coherent strategy. Johnson is following a familiar path, seeking foreign glory to disperse domestic difficulties. He announced the reversal of Britain’s withdrawal in the 1960s”East of Suez“. He sought something called “Indo-Pacific tilt“And his prediction of what he called “British leadership in the world.” His March defense commentary Proposed increase of 40% In Britain’s nuclear stockpile, it flagrantly ignored the 1968 Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. To prove this, he appointed Admiral Tony Radakin, an expansionist of the Navy, as his new chief of defense staff, who reportedly violated the military’s advice.
What this has to do with British national defense is unclear. It does not belong to any treaty obligation. London is not obligated to get involved in the dispute between China and Taiwan, and Taiwan does not even want to.However, when Theresa May asked Johnson last month whether the anti-China Aukus treaty he signed with Australia and the United States would allow Britain to take military action, Johnson showed masculinity and refuse to answer.
Britain has no obligation to protect Ukraine, because Ukraine is not a member of NATO. However, Truss doesn’t seem to think so. As for Iran, Brexit ended Britain’s need to impose severe and useless economic sanctions. However, they continued to do so, even taking advantage of their refusal to pay the ransom to the imprisoned Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe.The most unusual thing is that Johnson himself seems to have cancelled a promise that Britain will never be the first Use nuclear weapons In any future conflict. What credibility does this threat have?
These belligerent remarks from the prime minister have nothing to do with Britain’s security. They are acting. Britain can freely express its views on Russia and Russia’s authoritarian regimes. China – In fact, it has a moral obligation to do so, because it must accept refugees and provide assistance to those in need. These responsibilities have nothing to do with national defense. However, Johnson’s ambiguous words and deeds have deep meaning. Random promises to face and act, rather than stand by, can be misunderstood and lead to equally random promises to deploy violence.
In this way, a group of arrogant threats and counter-threats were involved in the turmoil before the First World War. During the Cuban crisis in 1962 and Andropov’s misjudgment in 1983, it was similar tensions that pushed the great powers to the edge of the nuclear cliff.A recent analysis of both shows Really close is a disasterFortunately, there were sane leaders at the time. There is no such guarantee today.
We can all see that the world is facing dictatorships in Beijing and Moscow. Both sides are working inward, doing what they did during the heyday of the British and American empires, and expanding their influence. They see that global confidence in the West is waning.Democracy is pathological, America is in turmoil Europe Split. Russia and China have not actually threatened the West, but both want to strengthen their control over neighboring countries as powerful countries have always done. China’s “One Belt One Road” strategy is a reproduction of the British Empire’s preferences.
If there is any lesson to be learned from the last few decades, it is that it is unwise for Western powers to intervene in the power structures of China, India, and the Middle East. They are not good police officers. They should admit that their role is to embody their ostentatious Western values at home, rather than imposing them on other countries and cultures like the medieval crusaders. This will only humiliate them and make them victims of destruction by groups such as the Islamic State and the Taliban.
At this moment, the world needs wise and calm politicians most. After leaving Afghanistan, Joe Biden learned the obvious lesson with at least dignity. ended. As Biden said, the withdrawal should mark the “end of the era of major military operations that reshape other countries.” Other countries should decide for themselves.
No such lesson comes from the UK. All Johnson can do is boast that he is the ruler of “Global Britain” and squander useless weapons. Can we imagine a German or French leader indulging in such imperialist bragging? In doing so, he might involve his country in even more brutal intervention. They have nothing to do with the security of his country. They are political vanity.
