Russia’s war on Ukraine has started reshaping the world order largely in the direction of decoupling the America-centric bellicosity. The colonial mindset of the west in foreign and security affairs has already been questioned by the idea of the de-westernization, but since within the west also there is a divide on accepting American belligerence there is a need to look at the new world order as de-Americanization. The American direction and dominance in matters of international peace and security have largely been parochial.
But in the context of the Russia-Ukraine war, the post-western and extra-western narratives have put forth the validity and dominance of the ideas of non-western countries of the world. The rejection of western ideas and technologies is no longer a new phenomenon. Many countries in the world have developed their own social space for communicating indigenous ideas without getting influenced by western or American narratives.
De-Americanization is an idea that rejects the dominance of America in international affairs pertaining to security and peace. This is the reflection of the outcome of the “clashes of civilization”. The think tanks in East and Southeast Asia have largely been successful in analyzing the threats of western dominance and convincing their governments and policymakers.
America has already perceived the threat to its dominance in world affairs and this was reflected in the “Remarks by President Joe Biden on America’s Place in the World” on February 4, 2021, in which Biden said that “we will repair our alliances and engage with the world once again, not to meet yesterday’s challenges, but today’s and tomorrow’s. American leadership must meet this new moment of advancing authoritarianism, including the growing ambitions of China to rival the United States and the determination of Russia to damage and disrupt our democracy”.
The American think tanks though have tried their best to reset the narrative in the context of the Russia-Ukraine war that the world requires “US energy dominance” but this idea has been quashed by Russia. Commenting on the hegemony of America pertaining to world affairs Russian President Vladimir Putin, while receiving the credentials from foreign ambassadors in Moscow, said on September 20, 2022, that “the objective development toward a multipolar world faces the resistance of those who try to preserve their hegemony in global affairs and control everything - Latin America, Europe, Asia, and Africa.” Putin further added that “the hegemon has succeeded in doing so for quite a long, but it can’t go on forever”
Transformation of world order is strategic in nature and for China, it’s a “long game to displace American order” observes former Brookings fellow Rush Doshi. A new world order is under construction which is a “China-led order”. Therefore, it’s going to be a complex dynamic of regionalizing and globalizing the Chinese order and destroying the American order in a strategic way. The countries in the east have their own think tanks where the actions of the west are not only being critically evaluated but also an original action plan is prepared ensuring the interest of the individual nation. In recent developments, India has set a benchmark for effectively telling the world that a sovereign nation can have its own say in matters of international relations without getting influenced by the traditions of the past.
Rohan Mukherjee while analyzing “Chaos as opportunity” argues that the declining commitment of the US to international order has led to a “changing global distribution of power”. Mukherjee believes that this chaos is an opportunity for India to benefit from the flux. India’s stand on the Russia-Ukraine war had been that what India does is in its own “interests” which has been repeated several times by Indian Minister of External Affairs S Jaishankar.
US administration has tried its best to convince India that Russia is not a credible ally for India, but India has never been under the influence of America. India’s constant reference to its “interests” stems from its desire not to challenge China and prevent its own economic destabilization. India’s stand on the Russia-Ukraine war is being observed keenly by the US. During Jaishankar’s visit to Russia, in November 2022, the US State Department Spokesperson commented that “India reaffirms that it stands against this war (Russia-Ukraine war), it wants to see diplomacy, dialogue, and an end to this war”.
China and Russia had been rivals for a long time but to de-Americanize the world order these two countries have become unnatural allies. Sparring of both China and Russia with the US has led to a new viewpoint of a world order where the US is being seen as a “force arbitrarily interfering in the international affairs of Russia and China”. Evidently, the countries of the world are trying to reposition themselves in their own interests and America unfortunately has failed to skew the world order in its favor as before. The power game of US-China-Russia has led to a disturbance in international order where, for the time being, de-Americanization is the most obvious phenomenon compared to the long game of so-called China or Russia-led world order.
(Dr Amaresh Jha is an Associate Professor at School of Modern Media, University of Petroleum and Energy Studies, Dehradun, India.)
