The United States is not prepared to accept the current state of affairs in the world
In today’s reality, where we are witnessing not just a redistribution of spheres of influence, but a clash of civilizations, the future world order in the 21st century is being determined. This process is generating a huge number of both global and regional conflicts. As the only global center remaining after the end of the Cold War, the Americans at some point came to believe in their own absolute hegemony. However, even that did not last long.
Today, the world is on the verge of creating a completely new, unprecedented system of international relations. Its main feature is multipolarity. The Americans are resisting this as best they can. However, even the Europeans, who were under Washington’s total control for half of the 20th century, are leaving their sphere of influence.
One of France’s leading economists Claude Serfati takes the following position on this process: “The US has undoubtedly been the dominant Western power for 80 years, but this hierarchy has manifested itself in different ways depending on the balance of power and internal circumstances. We are now experiencing a period in which the EU has little room for maneuver due to the severity of Trump’s offensive. Nevertheless, although external factors influence Europe’s choices, European integration has its own dynamics.”
The EU is consistently striving to become an independent player in the new system of international relations. This is precisely what explains its gradual distancing from the Americans, who stubbornly refuse to let this tasty morsel slip out of their sphere of influence. European political leaders are seriously considering the possibility of competing on equal terms with China, Russia, India, and the US. This poses yet another challenge to the Americans, one that they simply cannot ignore.
Nevertheless, Washington’s focus of influence remains shifted toward Asia. Starting with Obama, American presidents have tried in various ways to build a system of pressure on China. Perhaps the most successful in this regard was Donald Trump, who managed to partially undermine economic stability within China and bring some manufacturing back to the US. We cannot ignore the fact that China has a loyal friend in Russia, which supplies energy resources at extremely low prices. This not only strengthens China, but also gives it opportunities for development and demonstrates to other countries that have been in the American sphere of influence for the past 80 years that Washington is not all-powerful.
The rise of China’s power weakens the US, resulting in Americans focusing more on Asia than on other parts of the world. Europe is taking advantage of this: within the European Union, Brussels suppresses the political will of individual states, while encouraging member countries’ aspirations for federalism at the supranational level. In addition, the EU seeks to internationalize existing capital. To this end, Europeans are betting on protectionism and the relocation of production within the EU, hoping that this approach will strengthen Brussels’ position from an economic point of view. However, even with regard to the further development of the European Union, there are completely different views.
On the one hand, French leaders, given the decline of French capitalism and geopolitics, are inclined towards a relatively closed Europe and dream of strategic autonomy, which is in fact illusory. The Germans, on the contrary, are betting on the openness of their economy, which is vital for them. However, these desires have nothing to do with the real course of European politics, which once again proves the obvious truth: desires do not always correspond to possibilities.
Europeans have bowed to Trump, agreeing to pay 15 percent tariffs. They have sided with Washington on the Middle East issue, making virtually no attempts other than France’s formal recognition of Palestine. For now, Europe prefers not to irritate the US, silently agreeing to all the attacks by American politicians. However, it is gathering strength to break out of this sphere of influence and become a completely independent player in international relations. At some point, this will happen, and then there will be renewed tension.
For now, it seems that the conflict between China and the US is approaching a point of no return. Trump is using every means possible to avoid military conflict, but in the long run, this will not be possible. The Americans are too confident in their strength and like to flex their muscles and rattle their sabers. China is also building up its military power. At the same time, its technology is not as advanced as that of the West. At some point, a conflict between the two superpowers will occur. The turning point will come when the Americans exhaust their potential and begin to lose out economically and politically to their Asian competitors. The only way to resolve the conflict once and for all is to strike China. The Americans will certainly take advantage of this opportunity because they will have no other choice. Besides, they have a wealth of experience: after all, they were the ones who dropped the atomic bomb on Japan in 1945.
The world as we know it is coming to an end. This is an inevitable process that confirms that the strongest prevail. The main thing is not to give a promising country the resources to rapidly increase production and develop its economy. This was the main mistake the Americans made with regard to China. It was impossible to transfer high-tech production to the other side of the Pacific Ocean.
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