The West’s historical success was rooted in organized violence, rather than its proclaimed values.
By Moon Alabama
“The West won the world not by the superiority of its ideas or values or religion (to which few members of other civilizations were converted) but rather by its superiority in applying organized violence. Westerners often forget this fact; non-Westerners never do.”
― Samuel P. Huntington, The Clash of Civilizations and the Remaking of World Order (1996)
Western colonialism began in the fifteenth century and ended, with a few exceptions, in the mid of the 20th century. It was enabled by the development of technologies and fast population growth. The West then changed to a new model of ruling the world. It talked about human values and human rights and certain rules that would allegedly enable everyone to enjoy those.
The facade did not hold up well. The West, and especially the U.S., abused the ‘rules based order’ by circumventing international law whenever it did not fit its interests. It continued to apply ‘organized violence’ under dubious circumstances. The wars against Yugoslavia, Afghanistan and Iraq were supposed to demonstrate that the West would uphold whatever rules it claimed to exist. But the wars were lost and the U.S. had to retreat from them.
The war in Ukraine is only the latest but most obvious demonstration that the ‘rules based order’ no longer exists:
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Over the past several decades, the United States has continually placed Moscow in a position either to accept the fait accompli of NATO expansion at the expense of Russian security interests, or to escalate with force and suffer the consequences of increased economic and political ostracization. This disincentive to avoid escalation has been effectively removed. Explicating the altered state of international relations is not cheerleading for the Russian position — although it may be treated as such by those who disingenuously present any realistic assessment of the situation as “appeasement” — but rather illustrating how Moscow has insulated itself from Western ostracization, thus changing the entire balance of power in not only Europe, but the world.
Now, it is Russia that has the West on the horns of a dilemma: It can either watch the Kremlin achieve its strategic objectives, guaranteed in a one-sided negotiated settlement or through the continued attrition of Ukrainian forces, or it can escalate with force. Putin’s statement regarding nuclear weapons was not mere rhetoric—it was the Russian president defining the limits of the current conflict from a position of authority.
Anything short of total Ukrainian victory is therefore an implicit admission that the “rules-based” economic and political order has been irreversibly altered.
This morning hypersonic weapons destroyed an SBU headquarter in Kiev just seconds after the air alarm was activated. Western air defenses had failed. Russia has destroyed the myth of the West’s superiority in applying organized violence.
Others have taken note. The recent flare up in U.S. relations with Niger is a consequence of this:
The pressure brought to Niger reveals that Washington is supporting the war against Russia for reasons other than the right of Ukraine to choose its partners and join NATO, or that that right only applies when the partner being chosen is the United States and NATO but not Russia. The core principle, then, is not the right of a sovereign nation to choose its partner, but the right of a sovereign nation to partner with the United States.
The American attitude toward Niger and Russia reveals a second lesson. A key response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine was to isolate Russia and reinforce the U.S.-led unipolar world. It has not worked.
The United States has expressed concern that the “Russian Federation is really trying to take over central Africa as well as the Sahel.” Thurston told me that the U.S. is “very worried about Russian influence throughout the Sahel, and it has a particular sting in Niger given the previous closeness of the relationship.”
He added that the United States “seems to regard competition with Russia in Africa as zero-sum; whereas, most African governments don’t see things that way.” And that is the hallmark of the emerging multipolar world that the U.S. is trying to hold back. Saudi Arabia has said “we do not believe in polarization or in choosing between sides.” India’s Minister of External Affairs, S. Jaishankar, in his book, The Indian Way, describes the new multipolar world as one in which countries deal “with contesting parties at the same time with optimal results” for their “own self-interest.”
Having lost its two main sources power, the rules based order as a (somewhat) soft power instrument and its military hard power superiority, the West is in need of a new instrument of deterrence, a new tool that allows it to press its interest against the will of other powers.
It found that in demonstrating utter savagery.
The war on Gaza, backed by the West, is a demonstration that the West is willing to cross all lines. That it will discard any nuance of humanity. That it is willing to commit genocide. That it will do everything to prevent international organizations to intervene against this.
That it is willing to eliminate everyone and everything that resists it.
Those nations who commit themselves to multi-polarity should steel themselves for what might be visited on them.
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Comments
11 responses to “Deterrence By Savagery?”
Soundly stated. The Empire and its client Nazi Zionist Israel are functionally insane as nations, lost in their own hubris, and ready for failure, breakdown and chaos.
Good thought Paul, but I don’t see Uncle Sam & Company as “Ready” for what comes next in any of these War & Genocidal Fronts they’re attempting to push back against. It appears to me that they are switchin to the next War Front in the Pacific a bit prematurely for their own good. But, “Good” isn’t part of their Wikipedia Dictionary definitions on Bidens Senior Reader.
There must be quite a few Heads exploding today, over in LaLa Land of the ???
To continue my thoughts above, the NZ Government’s revelation’s today in support of the Good Guys in Fancy Hats, fuming that China may have had the audacity to snoop around in their Bizness & Elections Websites without asking permission 1st before reading, but not stealing any secret info tells me that Dear Uncle is getting pretty desperate to have Allies to throw under the bus as PNAC comes into full view now that they’re failing miserably to succeed on even a single War front, let alone the 3 that they are supposed to be winning to qualify these Good ole Boys to go ahead and Conquer the World according to PNAC.
NZ has come to the party in condemning the Chinese for their Snoop Dog Act against ourselves & our Buddies with 5 Eye’s. Well at least we haven’t been Bombed back to the Stone Age yet, so far, but it’s been Crickets down here so far as to China’s full response on these accusations.
I think everybody is holding their breath up in Wellington at the moment, waiting for the Tariff’s to come into place on our Free Trade Agreements that represent somewhere around 40-50% of our International Trade with them after these announcements.
Russian Roulette can be a tough game if you’re forced to go 1st without being able to check the Chambers for live rounds!
I suppose if Mr. luxon had balked, as he did initially this morning on the supportive Press releases things might have been immediately worse in our being the chosen ones to help build a bridge between North America & the Asian Continent for Stealth Soldiers on Electric Bikes to slip past over our smouldering bodies.
Wow, what a Movie to watch with bated breath at the moment, wondering when the Smack Downs are gonna begin & which Market to pick for the best dividend options on the bets placed with these Dealers!!!
“…which Market to pick for the best dividend options on the bets placed with these Dealers!!!”
I believe the Wa££ $t bu££$ see lead shrouds are a growth market.
They’ve been charging joyfully at red cloaks for over a century…
…and making regular KKKi££ing$ at the Great Gaming tables for several centuries.
It’s become painfully obvious that the unhinged lunatics who run “The Empire of Lies” have let the mask drop and are baring their blood-stained fangs for all the world to see! Unfortunately, we are finding out just how far they are willing to go, and what they are willing to risk, in order to maintain their precarious position as they continue to attempt to bludgeon the rest of the world into submission. I shudder to think of what comes next!
Unfortunately, Jews never mentioned once. They are and have been the greatest and most barbaric purveyor of violence in human history.
Unfortunately, Jews never mentioned once. They are and have been the greatest and most barbaric purveyors of violence in human history.
Still chasing your white man’s scapegoat then, Gene.
Adolf and Eichmann and Churchill and Cromwell were all closet Judaic scholars I take it?
Do park your hobby-horse and stop hunting Bibi’s decoy ducKKKy.
You are a blind dog who barks aimlessly.
“Saudi Arabia has said “we do not believe in polarization or in choosing between sides.”
US didn’t protect the Saudi Aramco installations from the Houthi missiles and the Saudis now distrust the US. It is about time for the Saudis to ask the world how can 15 Saudis do the 9/11 attack when some of them are still alive. The false flag of 9/11 justified the holocaust of Muslims five times greater than the Jewish holocaust. Read:
Lying America Did 9/11 And Then Killed Over 30 Million Muslims
by Dr Gideon Polya
https://countercurrents.org/2021/09/lying-america-did-9-11-and-then-killed-over-30-million-muslims/
BIDEN is a stupid, stupid man. While Americans are losing jobs and housing, old Joe wants to win a war. AND, control all those other nations too. KING OF THE WORLD? Nooooo, he is entirely too stupid. Then of course,Trump wants the same things—–POWER, Reverence and Devotion from the public. Neither one of those 2 men has the skills to accomplish that. As the world gets hotter and people get more desperate–NOW is the time to worry about our planet EARTH. Wake up war mongers—you are destroying your only home!