Obama forced to concede new 'international order'

Obama forced to concede new 'international order': Duowei

• Staff Reporter
• 2014-05-02
• 10:00 (GMT+8)

Xi Jinping meets Vladimir Putin in Sochi for the Winter Olympics on Feb. 6, 2014. (Photo/Xinhua)

The rise of China and Russia is forcing the US president, Barack Obama, to concede the dawn of a new "international order" that is no longer controlled by the United States, reports Duowei News, an outlet run by overseas Chinese.

Delivering a commencement speech over the weekend at the US Military Academy at West Point, Obama said he would seek a new international order with more international cooperation, stronger international standards and institutions and alliances to help resolve challenges ranging from terrorism, nuclear proliferation, climate change to economic decline.

"Our adversaries would like to see America sap its strength by overextending our power," Obama said. "So we have to shape an international order that can meet the challenges of our generation."

Obama's words come following a four-stop trip to Asia. Part of the purpose of the trip, according to Duowei, was for Obama to check on its "little brother" allies of Japan and the Philippines to help the US rekindle the status of world leader, but it is becoming increasingly clear that the US is no longer capable of maintaining international order alone, Duowei added.

The phrase international order has also been used by both Xi and Putin, albeit with a different meaning. For Xi and Putin, it means creating a multipolar world, whereas for Obama it means maintaining the United States' unipolar era, alleged Duowei.

Starting from the end of World War II and particularly after the collapse of the Soviet Union, the US has not had any real challengers to its power, leading it to make decisions that disrupt international order, such as its ill-based decision to invade Iraq without United Nations approval, without many repercussions, Duowei said.

As such, the US idea of international order is one in which the global rules don't apply to themselves but do apply to the rest of the world, Duowei added.

History has proven, however, that there is no power that can maintain its hegemony forever and there are signs that the US is losing its grip, Duowei said, adding that the impact of the global financial crisis on the US and Europe has paved the way for China and Russia to re-emerge.

According to Duowei, the rise of China will be the most important factor in the changing international landscape of the 21st century. The eventual outcome of this rise is not clear at this stage, but what has become evident is that China's strategies seemed to have changed since Xi took over the reins, Duowei said, adding that while China may be an "awakened lion," it is a peaceful, amiable and civil lion.

Duowei goes on to say that China is a "protector" of international order as opposed to a "challenger," blaming the ongoing territorial dispute between China and Japan over the Diaoyutai islands (Diaoyu to China, Senkaku to Japan) in the East China Sea solely on Japan, saying it is refusing to face the errors of its past and the outcome of history.

China is not the only country protecting international order, Duowei says. Russia and other four BRICS countries– Brazil, India and South Africa–are also starting to play their part as the group gradually develops from an economic entity to a political one.

The United States is not sitting idly by as the power of China and Russia rises, but rather they have continued to strengthen their presence in the Asia-Pacific region, however, through strategic alliances with Japan and the Philippines, both of which are embroiled in tense terrritorial disputes with China.

While the Philippines has little effect on international order apart from being a constant headache to China, Japan presents a different story especially after Obama affirmed its commitment to defending Tokyo in the event of a conflict over the Diaoyutai, Duowei said.

Faced with losing its place in the global pecking order, the United States can no longer continue to act as though it is the leader of the world, Duowei said, adding that the only option is for Washington to ditch its double standards and jointly safeguard international order by respecting the political systems and development path of different countries.

　http://www.wantchinatimes.com/news-subclass-cnt.aspx?id=20140502000025&cid=1101&MainCatID=0

　

References:

Xi Jinping　　習近平

http://www.wantchinatimes.com/news-subclass-cnt.aspx?id=20140502000025&cid=1101&MainCatID=0