The Crisis in World Leadership |
Munawar Mirza
The last decade of the
20th century saw the emergence of the US as the sole superpower and the advent
of the new millennium confirmed this reality. However, the supremacy and role
of the US as the world’s policeman in recent years has been met with much
hostility, creating obstacles for the American cause of ‘democratising’ the
world. This policy now lies in a shambles. The US retreat from Iraq and then
from Afghanistan was less a choice than a necessity. The earlier activism of
George W Bush gave way to President Barack Obama’s preferences for relatively
diminished global engagement. This approach has created a vacuum in world
leadership. No other country appears anxious or capable of filling this vacuum.
Such policy leanings of
the big powers may have roots in the nature and complexity of the crises that
plague various regions of the world today. The Middle East is in total
disarray. Syria has been embroiled in a five-year civil war, and world powers
have only now agreed on a plan to cease hostilities in the country in a week’s
time. Iraq is on the verge of collapse, while Libya is a failed state. Saudi
Arabia and Iran are entangled in a contest for regional domination, Afghanistan
is still in turmoil, and Pakistan is fighting its war on terror. In addition,
we see China and Japan pitted against each other in the conflict over the
islands in the East China Sea. Europe is facing challenges in the form of the
refugee crisis.
In this world of
conflicts and war, who is going to put the world in order or at least provide a
push for it? The year 2016 will see this challenge of a lack of leadership
become even more serious. The upcoming US presidential elections will make things
more complex. The new entrant to the White House will remain hesitant in taking
difficult decisions. Any plan to end a crisis requires a mechanism, which in
turn needs funds and manpower for implementation. That will be difficult to
achieve as there is little public support in the US to contribute troops or
dollars in global conflicts.
China is undergoing a
phase of economic reforms. It is concentrating on managing affairs at home
while approaching a greater role in world affairs cautiously. Its recent
initiatives in the Middle East had political overtones, but were more focused
on its economic priorities. Beijing’s focus rests on the East and South China
Sea, where its diplomatic efforts presently are aimed more at lowering
temperatures.
The year 2015 saw
Europe go through its fair share of crises in the form of the Greek financial
collapse, the refugee crisis and the Paris carnage. Europe probably has the
best comprehension of the complexities of the Middle East as it has had a
colonial presence in this region. However, there has been a systematic erosion
of leadership in the European Union (EU) over the years. There are internal
pressures from right-wing parties, whose aversion towards migrants,
international matters and even EU issues is now very much apparent. Angela
Merkel has led Germany well, but the fallout of the migrant crisis has made it
nearly impossible for her to be active in the international arena. Russia seems
to be moving towards Soviet-era politics through the military takeover of
Crimea, the backing of rebels in eastern Ukraine and the bombing in Syria.
However, the fall in oil prices has had a crippling effect on its economy.
President Putin and his team, in the foreseeable future, may be too busy
setting the country’s financial affairs in order instead of playing an
effective role in global politics.
At the end of the
Second World War, there was an effort on the part of the global powers to come
together. The UN, the IMF, the World Bank and later the EU were the common
forums that were established to handle global affairs. In contrast, the present
and the emerging global leadership is too busy putting its own respective
houses in order and there is a lack of a common vision for the future of the
world. This crisis in global leadership is alarming, and the question remains:
who will lead the world in these highly uncertain and volatile times?
Published in The
Express Tribune, February 13th, 2016.
Source:
http://tribune.com.pk/story/1045759/the-crisis-in-world-leadership/