NewsRescue
According to US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, the world is entering a new diplomatic order in which Washington must lead the way in dealing with rising threats from Russia and China.
“One era is coming to an end, and a new one is beginning, and the decisions we make now will shape the future for decades to come,” Blinken said in a speech at John Hopkins University in Washington on Wednesday. He claimed that the “post-Cold War order” has come to an end because “decades of relative geopolitical stability have given way to an intensifying competition with authoritarian powers.”
According to Blinken, these powers are led by Russia and China, and “Russia’s war of aggression in Ukraine is the most immediate, the most acute threat to the international order.” China poses the biggest long-term challenge, he claimed, because it aspires to reshape the international order and is developing the economic, diplomatic, military and technological power to do so.
“Beijing and Moscow are working together to make the world safe for autocracy through their ‘no limits’ partnership,” Blinken contended. He said that Russia and China have characterised the current order as a “Western imposition,” although that system is based on universal ideals and is protected by international law. Ironically, he also accused the two adversaries of assuming that big countries can “dictate their choices to others,” an accusation that Washington is increasingly facing.
“When the Beijings and Moscows of the world try to rewrite – or rip down – the multilateral system’s pillars, when they falsely claim that the order exists solely to advance the interests of the West at the expense of the rest, a growing global chorus of nations and peoples speaks out.”
Blinken claimed that the United States will lead “from a position of strength,” because to its “humility.” He went on to say, “We know we will have to earn the trust of a number of countries and citizens for whom the old order failed to deliver on many of its promises.”
Blinken believes that alliances will be critical to Washington’s success. He asserted that, despite open questions about NATO’s capabilities and usefulness, the Western military bloc had grown “bigger, stronger, and more united than ever.”
The crisis between Russia and Ukraine demonstrated that “an attack on the international order anywhere will hurt people everywhere,” according to Blinken. He went on to say that the US wants to see Ukraine overcome Russia and emerge from the fight as a “vibrant and prosperous” country.
