U.S. allies should rethink their allegiance to an aggressive but declining superpower

• According to the Watson Institute at Brown University, the conflicts connected to the war on terror have killed about 4.6 million people since 2001.
• That conflict defines 21st century world politics, far more than the war in Ukraine.
• It was driven by former U.S. president George W. Bush’s messianic impulses and neoconservative ideologues who aspired to reshape the Middle East in the American image using military force.
• The war in Iraq, an unprovoked and illegal invasion of a sovereign state, demonstrated the danger of unchecked American power and hubris.

Ignoring international law

• The Watson Institute report explains why states targeted by the U.S. have reasons to fear American violence and interference.
• International law doesn’t necessarily constrain the U.S. — it’s often willing to abuse its power and privileges for political, economic and strategic advantage.
• This reality partly explains Russia’s reaction to the expansion of NATO and its invasion of Ukraine.
• American leaders apparently believe a country four times the population of the U.S. must remain forever subordinate to American power.
• Instead, many countries are pursuing “non-alignment” — choosing to avoid getting caught in the middle of any future battles between the U.S. and China.

Rallying allies

• Nonetheless, the U.S. has rallied its established allies against China.
• Canada has become an American vassal, meaning it’s essentially dominated by the U.S. Japan has increased its military spending.
• Why do American allies refuse to discuss U.S. global violence, despite its horrific consequences and the fact that it clearly affects the world view of America’s rivals and the non-western world?
• It’s likely because American allies have benefited enormously from the U.S.-backed status quo, even if they’ve had to deal with the fallout of western militarism — particularly in Europe, where the influx of refugees has coarsened regional politics.

Politics of fear

• Read more:
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  Domestic political instability in the U.S. may eventually motivate even more aggressive American foreign policy.

• The U.S. has never shied away from the politics of fear and the exaggeration of threat.
• Is preserving the privileged global position of the U.S. really so important to the rest of the world?
• U.S. allies need to learn the lessons of the war on terror and the 4.6 million people it’s killed.
• American allies could make their support of the U.S. conditional on a pledge to ease up on militarism and focus on greater global co-operation.