US Russia China Diplomatic Challenges
The United States, Russia, and China have entered into a new era of complicated relationships that have been driven by recent events.
The first event is simply the war in Iraq. Russia and China were both opposed to the US invasion, President Bush didn’t really care what they thought, and the resulting largely unilateral mess has all three nations on edge.
I doubt seriously if President Bush would look into Russian President Vladimir Putin’s steely eyes and say again that “here is a man he can trust”. Putin’s displeasure at how he really feels about what he sees as an further attempt by the US to dominate the world was all too clearly expressed by his recent remarks at Munich.
Then there is the current US position on extending tough sanctions on Iran. Neither Russia nor China are onboard with the US’s position. This further raises tensions between the US, Russia and China. If the US ever unwisely invades Iran all bets are off as to where that action would lead. I expect it would be to an extremely unpleasant place.
The race to secure and to supply access to rapidity diminishing natural resources is yet another source of tensions. While the US has been busy consuming valuable resources with the war in Iraq China has been wisely sending it’s diplomats, traders and agents traveling about the world entering into mutually beneficial commercial deals to lock up long term supplies of oil, metals, and other commodities vital to the growth of the Chinese economy.
Russia has been flexing it’s new found oil and gas wealth and ample reserves to further dominate all of Europe as the supplier of important gas and oil energy supplies. Without Russian energy supplies most European consumers would be in a deep freeze in Winter and their economies would be severely impacted year round.
Neither Russia or China are too happy about the US establishing military bases in parts of the former Soviet Union and the Mid-East. As the US has at least some military forces stationed in over 90 countries around the world even a loyal hard core American should be able to see why there is concern about American intentions, especially under the Bush administration’s neo con leadership.
It should be easy enough to understand why President Putin made quite undiplomatic remarks about America’s current foreign policy. While Putin may not be very well liked at the moment by many in Washington a look at the progress that Russia has made under his leadership should give the man a great bit of creditability as a strong leader.
Putin may not favor or support democracy in a way that the US likes but he has established a successful Russian Presidency and has earned the right to express himself on important issues.
In recent years Russia and China have enjoyed rapid real growth of their economies. As they begin to overtake the US in economic output and influence around the world it will be a dangerous time for all. No one or any country that has been King of the Mountain likes to be pushed off the peak.
No doubt that the diplomats of all three nations will be working overtime to avoid more than just economic competition and friction. The best that we can hope for is that the next US administration will be more unilaterally inclined in it’s approach to national relationships.
Hopefully it will establish policies to revitalize the American spirit of fair play, innovation, and enlightened world leadership and American influence, credibility, and positive public opinion around the world can in time be restored.
It would help immeasurably if the next US President believes that it would be in the best interests of America to talk to the nation’s perceived and real enemies in an effort to find areas of mutual interests that can lead to peaceful solutions to challenges.
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