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the rules-based ordure.....The Western-promoted “rules-based order” is merely a cover for colonialism, as the presumed rules have never been agreed-on by anyone and are ever-shifting from one case to another, Russian President Vladimir Putin has said. The president made the remarks in an exclusive interview with state-run broadcaster China Central Television (CCTV) that was aired on Monday. “Have you ever seen these rules? No, because no one has ever written them, and no one has ever agreed to them with anyone. How can we talk about order based on rules that no one has seen?” Putin stated. While such a situation definitely looks “from the point of common sense” as “nonsense,” it’s extremely beneficial for the proponents of the said “rules-based order,” the president explained. “If no one has ever seen these rules, it means that those who talk about this themselves come up with these rules from case to case in a way that suits their own interests. This is the essence of the colonial approach,” Putin noted. Colonialism has always been based on supremacist ideas, segregating people into different“classes.” “Colonial countries have always believed themselves to be first-class people. After all, they always said that they bring enlightenment to their colonies, that they are civilized people and bring the benefits of civilization to other peoples, who are considered to be second-class,” Putin stressed. The colonial mindset remains strong, he noted, with all the US talk of its “exceptionalism,” for instance, stemming precisely from it. “That is, when they say that they are exceptional in the United States, it means that there are other people, people of some other second class. How else can we perceive this? These are the rudiments of the colonial mindset, nothing else,” he added. The approach exhibited by Russia and China is entirely different from that shown by the West, with Moscow and Beijing both believing that treating all nations equally is the cornerstone of the emerging multipolar world and the basis of cooperation between the two nations themselves, Putin stressed. “We proceed from the fact that all people are equal, everyone has the same rights, the rights and freedoms of one country and one people end where the rights and freedoms of another person or of an entire state start. This is how a multipolar world should gradually be born,” the president explained. https://www.rt.com/russia/584993-putin-rules-based-order/
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tails....
Fyodor Lukyanov: The Hamas-Israel war is revealing a peculiar trend in international relations
Tails are wagging the dogs in international relations, and alliance overreach is weakening traditional big players
The international hierarchy is undergoing a fatal erosion, that’s according to the authors of the annual report prepared by Russia’s Valdai Club.
The established leadership will not be able to stop "the growing 'free will' of other states – be they large, medium or small – even if they choose to make determined efforts to try". The "quest for survival in an extremely diversified world" will force everyone to "build up independent capabilities.”
Last weekend’s frontal attack by Hamas on Israel was not expected because it was considered to be a suicidal idea – given the huge gap in resources between an isolated radical group and the militarily strongest state in the region, which is the closest ally of the global superpower,. But in an "extremely diversified world", "independent capabilities" do not equal the sum of material assets.
Precise calculation, unconventional action and the calculated use of limited potential always come at a price. A crafty fighter who should be up against the ropes can find ways to puff his chest in order to distract from the real balance of power.
The current breakdown of hierarchy is a product of the accumulated imbalances of the global order. It’s opening the way for the boldest, the most decisive, the toughest (or indeed cruelest). On the other hand, it’s a surprise for those who are used to the established rules and the a priori balance of power. This does not mean that aggregate power (money, technology, weapons) is suddenly devalued. After all, it determines everything. But many people have to relearn how to use them when faced with a highly motivated opponent.
Another novelty is how the new environment affects alliances. bloc relationships are the foundation of a stable system. Today, however, formal bonds often increase tensions within the community and lead to frustration. Some feel that they are not being supported enough, while others believe they helping others to their own detriment. And fixed commitments within alliances make it more difficult to maneuver, when freedom of action and the ability to use different opportunities flexibly are increasingly valued. That’s because informal, "hybrid" interaction at all levels is known to be effective, especially when political and military behavior needs to change quickly.
One should not conclude from the current situation that everything will be turned upside down. The material basis that determines the potential to exert power will still hold sway. But practically all the conflicts of this century – from the very beginning (Afghanistan, etc.) – have shown one thing: absolute advantage has become relative, and military victory is not synonymous with political victory.
In fact, the opposite is the case - the scale of the costs tends to outweigh the success achieved.
Right now, the breakdown of the hierarchy is creeping rather than sudden. And weaker players are provoking stronger ones into actions that lead the latter to further decline. In this sense, the terrorist attacks of 11 September 2001 are a prime example. America’s position in the world was shaken not by the attack itself, but by the long-term consequences of Washington's misguided response to it.
Incidentally, the problem of Hamas in Gaza itself is a consequence of the attacks on New York. The neo-conservative Bush administration, determined to restructure the Middle East democratically, imposed "free elections" on Palestine and then refused to recognize Hamas's victory in them.
West Jerusalem’s permanent representative to the UN declared, last weekend, that what was happening was "Israel's 9/11". The analogy is a dangerous one, given how the events which followed that atrocity ended for the US.
This article was first published by Kommersant.
https://www.rt.com/news/584775-fyodor-lukyanov-israels-911-is/
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west lost global south....
Attempts by the US and its allies to “paint Moscow as a global pariah”have been “poisoned” by the rush to support Israeli retaliation against Hamas in Gaza, the Financial Times reported on Wednesday, citing more than a dozen officials.
“We have definitely lost the battle in the Global South,” one senior G7 diplomat was quoted as saying. “All the work we have done with the Global South [over Ukraine] has been lost… Forget about rules, forget about world order. They won’t ever listen to us again.”
“What we said about Ukraine has to apply to Gaza. Otherwise we lose all our credibility,” the official added. “The Brazilians, the South Africans, the Indonesians: why should they ever believe what we say about human rights?”
Western nations have framed the Ukraine conflict as an act of “unprovoked aggression” and blasted Moscow for the suffering of Ukrainian civilians.
The same nations appeared reluctant to condition their support for Israel on exercising restraint in the wake of a deadly incursion by the Palestinian militant group Hamas this month. Israel has cut off essential supplies to Gaza and subjected it to intense bombardment.
“If you describe cutting off water, food and electricity in Ukraine as a war crime, then you should say the same thing about Gaza,” an Arab official told the newspaper, explaining the apparent lack of consistency.
White House National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan was confronted over the issue on CNN. Host Jack Tapper stressed that “civilians are civilians” regardless of where they reside. The official declined to say whether Washington was putting pressure on Israel to let supplies into Gaza.
According to The Huffington Post, the US State Department last week instructed high-level diplomats working in the Middle East not to use three specific phrases regarding the Israeli-Palestinian conflict: “de-escalation/ceasefire,” “end to violence/bloodshed,” and “restoring calm.”
This week, a Russian-proposed draft resolution denouncing violence against civilians and urging a ceasefire was rejected by the UN Security Council. Another one submitted by Brazil was later vetoed by the US, after 12 members voted for it.
READ MORE: West has taken UN Security Council ‘hostage’ – MoscowRussia abstained on the second proposal, after its amendment to include a call for a truce was rejected.
“You, colleagues, will certainly come up with some formal justification citing ‘unbalanced language,’ but at this point they would sound pathetic. You have made your choice,” Moscow’s envoy, Vassily Nebenzia, said about the non-inclusion of the wording.
https://www.rt.com/news/585313-west-lost-global-south/
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