By Nirmal P. Acharya
There was a time when saying “no” to Americans was deemed highly dangerous. It’s still horrifying to even recall the fates of Saddam, Gaddafi and Slobodan Milosevic, as all three were killed because of being enemies to the US and not because of their bad politics, but because of their good ones. Now, Nepal has also rejected the SPP promoted by the US with a big “no”.
Looking around, countries saying “no” and despising the US seem to be increasing day by day. Russia and India have issued the Ruble and Rupee decrees respectively. Whereas immediately after Pelosi visited Taiwan, China conducted unprecedented large-scale military exercises against Taiwan, announced sanctions against Pelosi herself and her immediate family, and cancelled or temporarily suspended several cooperation mechanisms and agreements with the US. Meanwhile, South Korea’s President avoided visiting House Speaker Pelosi in move critics say aims to avoid antagonising China as tensions in the Taiwan Strait simmer. Even Saudi Arabia has rejected the US request to increase its oil production.
This is all about saying “no” to the US and gently declining to accept or agree to something just because the US said so. In future, there are going to be more countries saying “no” to the US whether it be financial, military, diplomatic or any other way. In the past, only the US imposed sanctions and hit other countries, and it was rare for other countries to loudly say “no” to the US. However, America’s single-class hegemony, it seems, is no longer sustainable.
The US is doing its best to maintain its hegemony in the world. While, the US has declared China its number one adversary and Russia, naturally its number two adversary. So, the question remains who’s the number three? Well, my guess number three by default is India.
With its huge size and geographical position guarding the Indian Ocean, India poses a threat to maritime hegemony, which is the main pillar of the US hegemony in the world. So, what must a hegemony do to a threat is to simply eliminate it! Back then, the US succeeded in dismembering its number one rival, the Soviet Union, and then began to dismember China.
Since then, the US has been constantly tormenting China with the so-called Tibet issue, Xinjiang issue, Hong Kong issue and Taiwan issue. From saying China does not have human rights and freedom, to saying China does not have democracy and rule of law, the US did not hesitate to blow up the Chinese embassy and send big planes into Chinese airspace to crash into Chinese military planes. The US is pressing hard again and again, and China bears the burden of humiliation.
During this decades-long ordeal, China has avoided and neutralized one deadly attack after another by the US, survived under the eyes and noses of the US hegemony and accumulated strength bit by bit. Finally, in August 2022, when Pelosi raised the Taiwan issue to an unprecedented level of heat, China put on a battle-hardened position, backed by its strength, to shout a “no” to the US that will go down in world history. Here I am willing to boldly predict that the US attempt to dismember China is bankrupt.
In this regard, I would like to further conclude that the strong “no” from China will do more good than harm to India. For if China cannot resist, it will be India’s turn to be dismembered. Reproduced from People’s Review
