Over the last 40 years, Asia has been the world’s most tranquil and stable area. In stark contrast, the US and NATO have caused turbulence, conflict, and disasters in Europe and the Middle East, and now the US is attempting to redirect the crisis to the east by pressuring NATO to intervene in Asia-Pacific security concerns and forge an encirclement against China. This would undoubtedly exacerbate regional instability and potentially fan the fires of war in Asia, wiping out 40 years of calm and prosperity.
In the Asia Pacific region, there is growing concern about a more assertive Washington aiming to incite ideological conflict. Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong recently issued a warning “There would be no positive conclusion if Asian countries are divided into two camps, each supporting one side or the other. The two powers’ circles of friends overlapping is a more stable, less stressful setup.”
In reality, with spiking oil costs and a soaring inflation rate, the United States is nibbling on the bitter fruits of its own creation. Yet its politicians continue to waste time on partisanship at home and fomenting conflict abroad. It should also be underlined that a bellicose attitude will neither prevent the ultimate fall of so-called US hegemony, nor will such actions succeed in controlling China, whose irreversible rejuvenation is primarily motivated by its people’s yearning for a better life.
America’s increasingly selfish and blatantly damaging activities in foreign affairs will backfire. A rising number of countries, including some of Washington’s allies and partners, are attempting to maintain a “social distance” from the White House. European countries, led by Germany and France, are gaining strategic independence at a quicker pace. To some extent, the fact that even its friends are giving it a wide berth appears to confirm what Kissinger once observed, “To be an enemy of America is dangerous, but to be a friend is fatal.” (M.Raihan Ronodipuro)
M.Raihan Ronodipuro has earned a Master of Law in International Relations from the School of International and Public Affairs at Jilin University in China. He serves as an Associate Researcher in the Department of Politics and Security at the Center for Indonesia-China Studies (CICS). Raihan is currently working as a special aide to the Great Indonesia Movement Party (Gerindra) faction at the House of Representatives of the Republic of Indonesia (DPR RI), assigned to committee 1 (defense, foreign, and Information Affairs).