"Europe and America excel at lecturing others on what is morally right and economically sensible. But the message that usually comes through—as the persistence of U.S. and European agricultural subsidies makes clear—is "do what I say, not what I do." Especially after the Trump years, America no longer holds any claim to the moral high ground, nor does it have the credibility to dispense advice. Neoliberalism and trickle-down economics were never widely embraced in the Global South, and now they are
The U.S. might know how to make the world’s best bombers and missile systems, but they will not help us here.the U.S. and others are hardly in a position to point the finger.
At the same time, China has excelled not at delivering lectures but at furnishing poor countries with hard infrastructure. Yes, these countries are often left deeply in debt; but, given Western banks' own behavior as creditors in the developing world,
I could go on, but the point should be clear: If the U.S. is going to embark on a new cold war, it had better understand what it will take to win. Cold wars ultimately are won with the soft power of attraction and persuasion. To come out on top, wemust convince the rest of the world to buy not just our products, but also the social, political, and economic system we're selling.
The U.S. might know how to make the world’s best bombers and missile systems, but they will not help us here. Instead, we must offer concrete help to developing and emerging-market countries, starting with a waiver on all Covid-related intellectualproperty so that they can produce vaccines and treatments for themselves.
Equally important, the West must once again make our economic, social, and political systems the envy of the world. In the U.S., that starts with reducing gun violence, improving environmental regulations, combating inequality and racism, andprotecting women's reproductive rights. Until we have proven ourselves worthy to lead, we cannot expect others to march to our drum."
https://www.commondreams.org/views/2022/06/19/us-could-lose-new-cold-war-china-and-russia
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