"International relations today are in a kind of limbo. Few politicians and diplomats really believe that any power other than the United States can guarantee the peace or punish aggression. But neither is there sufficient cohesion in the west to give America the moral and material support she must have to fulfill that roll.
This has to change. America's duty is to lead. The other Western countries' duty is to support its leadership. Provided western countries unite under American leadership, the west will remain the dominant global influence' if we do not, the opportunity for rogue states and new tyranical powers to exploit our division will increase, and so will the danger to all." Margeret Thatcher, British Prime Minister
Words spoken just over one decade ago ring true as prophetic. After the collapse of the USSR, America and our western allies was almost completely unchallenged the world over. On key issues however, there have been rifts in this western alliance. As Thatcher spoke in 1998, this has caused rogue states which endanger the lives of millions to grow in the power vacuum at the end of the Cold War.
Just one nation, North Korea, is currently threatening our ally of South Korea and potentially Japan, both of which are key allies in Asia. Complicating issues further is surrging nationalism in Korea and large agitation for war between the north and the south.
Probably more disturbing than these developments though, is the general lack of sympathy or interest in many of our European allies. It is one thing to sing praises of American support, it is a very different thing to put forth effort to help. I think on the whole, Europe sees itself rather disconnected from these potential flashpoints and battlegrounds.
Dont misunderstand me though, I think that there is support for us on the global stage, but not nearly strong enough as the former British PM requested of the European allies.
So, what is America's way forward? To a large degree, I support Obama's foreign policy of trying to reintegrate Europe into our military responces world wide. France has recently reintegrated its military into the NATO command structure. Eastern Europe has moved to support a planned missle shield on their territory. And while Russia vehemently opposes the proposed shield, it has done nothing to offer possible alternatives, such as assisting in disarming potential rogue states that the shield is designed to protect against.
In Asia, tensions over Taiwan and China have subsided very substantially with the installation of the KMT party, which has gone to considerable lengths to strengthen ties with the mainland while maintaining independence. Nations in Indochina have, for the most part, democratic governments, with the exception of Vietnam and Laos. The Philipenes and Australia continue to be strong allies, with Australia recently asigning a large budget to revamp its military, especially the navy, to be a stronger deterent to any aggression in the Pacific.
The primary concerns of the world in foreign politics is the recent events and threats from North Korea, and the potential nuclearization of Iran in the near future. Thousands of military men and women are deployed in Afganistan to fight counter insurgency operations, with a great deal of success I might add.
So then, what is the point of this blog post? To help inform my fellow Americans that solidarity with our friends the world over is key to maintaining this Pax Americana that was born from the ashes of the Pax Atomica of the Cold War. Solidarity especially with our Asian allies is key; failure to support them in any area would erode western support throughout the entire region. If you are one of our allies, or you have close contact with our allies, tell them that America thanks them for their support. We need you and your support more than ever in these trying times; not in order to spread American dominance or influence, but in order to build a stronger world and a more secure future for all people on Earth.