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After the summit of leaders of the United States and Russia ended on Wednesday, President Vladimir Putin assured the Canadian journalist that these meetings are to save the world from nuclear destruction and find solutions to the world’s economic, climate and medical problems. President Joe Biden, for his part, told reporters that there is no secret code about foreign policy, that it is about personal relationships, that it is about human nature.
All of this seemed pretty comical, though not tragic, as the two worlds were supposedly trying to save the world because they couldn’t find themselves in a joint press conference after a three-hour chat to reassure their people and the rest of the people. the international community because of their noble intentions.
The first face-to-face encounter did not make the world safer or better; but like the old rude ones, they went to each other’s countries, using outdated clichés and sly arguments.
In other words, the summit did not fix anything; none of the serious challenges of global security, cyber or strategic. And while Biden and Putin agreed to start a strategic dialogue, it is unlikely to be considered a restart or a “reset”.
And as it was a preview for a future US-China summit, there is certainly little to celebrate and much to think about, as the Biden administration hardens US positions and changes the rules of diplomatic engagement to keep its rivals in check. No doubt Biden will follow a similar strategy in his dealings with China’s Xi Jinping, hoping to have Beijing before he becomes the world’s number one power.
Clearly, global power policy is not about the personal chemistry of leaders; looking each other in the eye, searching for the soul to save the world.
It is clear that the end of these peaks is not to achieve a peaceful, healthy and clean world without nuclear weapons.
And it is clear that the challenges are too broad and, in fact, very complicated and a consequence of global and individual security.
But the logic that drives superpowers to meet these challenges is pretty simple – it’s the logic of power. Neither human rights and democracy, nor sovereignty and international law, are just power. And this applies equally to democratic and authoritarian regimes.
That’s not to say, I don’t see any difference between liberal-democratic and totalitarian regimes, arguably, and I have a high priority.
But in terms of foreign policy, some democracies have been no more imperialist or criminal in their foreign policy than their authoritarian counterparts. Colonialism is a tremendous example. And in the case of totalitarian regimes, some like China have given their people more prosperity than many democracies, especially the poor.
Over the centuries, the great powers, regardless of their colors and stripes, competed under the pretext of security, but in the end there was greater insecurity worldwide.
Trying to dominate regions and continents to prevent other ambitious powers from doing the same has ruined the lives and lives of many people around the world.
For much of the second half of the century, the rivalry turned into a nuclear one, endangering the world, with mutual assured destruction.
CRAZY, in fact.
In short, despite claiming benevolence, clarity, freedom, civilization, and even complete human emancipation; whether they preach democracy and human rights or insist on a system based on international law and international norms, world powers have led the world into the most serious conflicts and the most destructive wars.
Like pyromaniac firefighters, they repeatedly tried to put out more fire, burning everything they touched.
However, as Biden said, there is no secret to knowing why and how they do it. It’s not rocket science.
However, despite the opposite, theirs is not a personal business, but a dirty business. After avoiding the horrible outbursts that come out of governments, everything becomes clear.
Here is a simplified version of this intricate image.
In a world dominated by superpower politics, life is like living in a tough neighborhood where some bulls take advantage of the lack of authority to force their way through the streets. That is geopolitics.
They are constantly accumulating weapons and goods to spread their influence and overcome other severe persecution around the block. The elegant phrase for this is “offensive realism”.
When they somehow agree to divide the neighborhood into areas of influence; that’s “defensive realism.”
Improving one’s level using all available means is a strategy. Demonizing others to justify one’s threatening attitude is propaganda.
Some intimidate or manipulate powerless neighbors with protection in exchange for loyalty and support, while others may use more carrots than sticks to attract support; that is, patron-client relationships come in handy to dominate vast areas of the world indirectly.
When one bully becomes very cocky, another can avoid confrontation by encouraging a third bully to face the challenge; this is called “passing the cap”. For the past two decades, careful not to go against Washington, Beijing has moved to Moscow and faced America’s 11/11 post-attack.
But when a bully commits another bully against a third attacker, that’s “band-wagoning”. In this way, European powers unite with the US and alienated Russia can unite with China in the 21st century. Because in the century they are competing for world domination.
Both are repeating what their predecessors have done over the centuries with open eyes: they strive for power and influence no matter what the cost to the world.
It seems that after seeing the tremendous performances at this week’s press conferences, it seems that Biden and Putin haven’t learned much from the mistakes of their predecessors.
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