The Drunk Diplomat

Well the G-8 meeting in Italy is wrapping up today. These big powerhouse meetings never seem to produce anything substantive… only pledges for this, money for that, help for Africa, etc. Understandably, most of the leaders come from democracies so they cannot just promise to do anything because they have to deal with domestic public opinion and their legislative branch. However, some of the most important players are not democracies. Are these states counter productive to the grander goals of the original G-7 group of industrialized democracies? Now it’s like the G-20 – a smorgasbord of aging democracies, quasi-capitalist autocratic one party states, and random states from underrepresented regions to give the group a more “global feel.” For instance, does South Africa and Egypt really represent Africa? Will South Africa’s presence in any way improve the conditions for citizens of Mozambique, Ghana, or Congo? I highly doubt it, South Africa is at the G-20 because it is currently the largest economy in Africa, a former British colony, and a young democracy that will fight for issues that will improve it’s national interests – not Sub-Saharan African interests.

Furthermore, how can the United States and the other European democracies be champions of human rights if they are constantly brokering deals with China, Russia, and Saudi Arabia. Constantly, like China already is, promoting economic growth over environmental sustainability, human rights, and freedom of speech. Three traditional pillars of the Democratic West’s critique of the various autocratic governments found in the East; including Russia, China, most of the Middle East, parts of Southeast Asia, etc. This “G-8″ (really a G-40) meeting was a prime example. Hu Jin Tao had to leave early to oversee the crackdown on Uighur Muslims in Xinjang province. The Uighur are denied religious freedom, freedom of speech, and I’m sure they are now being tortured and held against their will by the Chinese state for expressing they inalienable right of freedom of assembly.

There was not a peep to be heard from the supposed Free, Democratic, Liberal West. “We don’t want to embarrass China or critique China during a recession!” It may hurt our precious economy! Well I say that’s Bull Shit. Everyone knows exactly whats going on in Xinjang, government repression – old school style – cops in the streets bashing heads, the erroneous taking of prisoners, torturing the leaders, repression, violence, and media silence.

The G-20 has its place, but the G-7 (minus Russia) should not be dissolved. Even as the West is supposedly in decline (not really decline, bu the rise of the rest) it cannot stop putting pressure on other governments or lower its standards for fleeting economic gain. The Chinese go to Africa with no demands for human rights reforms or environmental reforms. 10 years later the Chinese have destroyed the local environment and impoverished the people by welcoming corruption. The US goes to Africa demanding human rights reforms and environmental protections – 20 years later the country is a functioning democracy ready to work on its own.

The big story this week is Obama’s trip to the Middle East and his speech in Cairo to address the “Muslim and Arab World.” However, this story caught my eye in the NY Times today. Kevin Rudd (Labor), Australia’s Prime Minister, is fluent in Mandarin, served as an Ambassador in China, and has vowed to make Australia the West’s most “Eastern Fluent Country.” His idea is sound considering India and China prominence in the 21st century, however, fears are beginning to emerge in Australia that it will become a mining colony for China. From the article:

The government of Prime Minister Kevin Rudd, which generally favors the sales, has been savaged as naïvely cozy with China, a view some in his own military appear to share. Opposition politicians have flogged the specter of an Australian future more or less as a giant open-pit mine in which the locals toil, but Beijing takes the profits.

The poignant part of the article is how Chinese corporations are not really like corporations found in the West. Save General Motors as of Monday, there is has historically been minimal government involvement in Western corporations. The Chinese Communist party has extensive control Chinese corporations. The article claims that there is some autonomy between the Communist party and Private industry, but the same people that are the CEOs, COOs, etc. of China’s big corporations come from the Communist party and have extensive contacts in the Communist party.

This theme of countries becoming more wary of China’s emerging hegemonic power in the Asia-Pacific region will continue to emerge as an important story for the next quarter century. China is the world’s biggest creditor, before America became a global power it was the worlds biggest credit, before the United Kingdom came to power it was the world’s biggest creditor. I cannot foresee how this cycle will not continue with China. As China continues to invest in the U.S., Europe, Southeast Asia, Africa, etc. their influence will continue to increase, and their influence within the government of smaller powers such as Australia, Vietnam, Singapore, Nigeria, etc. will be hard to ignore.

How long can China continue its so called peaceful rise to power as the world’s resources increasing face nationalism at home and scarcity globally.

Source:
Australia, Nourishing China’s Economic Engine, Questions Ties
Michael Wines
NY Times June 3, 2009