War, technocracies and double standards – Liechtenstein
“In my opinion, systems of government, in many cases democracies, that protect the lives and liberties of their citizens are preferable to all others. However, it is dangerous to make such a claim the focus of foreign and security policy.”: A guest commentary by Prince Michael von Liechtenstein.
In March 2018 I wrote an op-ed titled «Is the world safe from a major war?». Since the beginning of GIS in 2011, we have warned of the problems that could lead to the outbreak of a major conflict. Causes that can lead to the consumption of a major conflict have been emerging for several years.
Until recently, the belief was that globalization would prevail and that full-scale confrontation between the major centers of power was unlikely. The inhabitants of the wealthiest countries live under the illusion that the West-led, rules-based international order and its liberal model of democracy are only expanding.
The word “war” was banished from serious arguments and Europe’s defenses dwindled. The American President Barack Obama only received the Nobel Peace Prize as an “advance” nine months after the start of his eagerly awaited presidency. Convenient invocations of “Western values” masked inactivity and pushed aside political and security realism.
Double standards
Now it is certainly important to uphold humanitarian principles. But it seems that double standards are hypocritical. Apparently, the “Realpolitik” in international relations sometimes leads to a certain cynicism.
China is a major trading partner and investor; his persecution of the Uyghur Muslim minority has gone unanswered by Western governments – apart from a few verbal admonitions for the consumption of their political clientele.
No sanctions or other drastic measures have been imposed. The brutal persecution of Christians by the Beijing regime is also barely mentioned, as is the long-standing oppression of Tibetans.
At the same time, Western media and politicians treat smaller countries like Turkey ruthlessly – often without seeing the bigger picture.
This is not only unfair, but also an unintelligent perception of the global conflict.
An alliance of liberal democracies was announced at the last G-7 summit in June 2022. The group includes the US, EU member states, the UK and other Anglo-Saxon countries such as Canada and Australia, and Japan. These countries have now recognized cracks in the democratic bloc and are locked in what they call a “systems conflict” with China and Russia.
During the Cold War we speak of the free world fighting oppressive communism. Today we speak with conscientious arrogance of democracy fighting autocracy. The danger of such arrogance lies in the erosion of freedom in an increasingly dogmatic system; We are witnessing the transformation of a democracy into a centralized, bureaucratic technocracy.
About the author
(Photo: VB)
Prince Michael von und zu Liechtenstein (photo) is Chairman of the Board of Directors of Industrie- und Finanzkontor Ets., a Liechtenstein trust company that operates in the field of obvious asset protection. He is also the founder and President of Geopolitical Intelligence Services, GIS, a geopolitical advisory and information service based in Vaduz. He completed his education with a master’s degree in social and economic sciences at the Vienna University of Economics and Business. Prince Michael is also a board member of the Treuhandkammer and President of the think tank European Center of Austrian Economics Foundation.
It is hardly surprising that different countries and cultures adopt different political systems. For a long time, the West carried out the narrative of having a superior system and insisted that other regions emulate it to share in the rising prosperity. After the implosion of the Soviet Union in 1991 – a dangerous power that wanted to spread its model of oppression worldwide through applied violence, subversion and the utopian lure of world revolution – this assumption seemed to be confirmed.
However, things didn’t turn out that way. New powers, not just Russia and China, began to challenge Western hegemony, represented primarily by the United States. While the American superpower maintained its strength, the European position dwindled.
However, the West – and Europe in particular – remains committed to maintaining the position of supreme arbiter of good and evil through what it considers its unsurpassed values.
In my opinion, systems of government, in many cases democracies, that protect the lives and liberties of their citizens are preferable to all others.
However, it is dangerous to make such a claim the focus of foreign and security policy.
The Western doctrine of global values, excellent as it may appear and work for the West, IS viewed by many other countries as unlawful interference in their affairs. This nuisance offers China and Russia an opportunity to expand their influence in Latin America, Africa, the Middle East and South Asia. Note that India, which seeks committed cooperation with the US against China, does not support sanctions against Russia.
A strong narrative promoting one’s political position has its dangers. It has lured Russia into invading Ukraine – to its own disastrous detriment.
«We must not forget that many cultures see the assumption of Western values as neo-colonialism. We’d better be careful.”
Belief in the superior value of western democracy is also dangerous in foreign policy. It breeds intolerance and disrespect, and weakens the pragmatism needed to seek mutually beneficial solutions to conflicts.
We must not forget that many cultures see the assumption of Western values as neo-colonialism. We better be careful.
Thank God the USA is still the strongest military power in the world. But what about Europe? Considering us & our competitive position rather than thinking, feeling & judging morally about other countries. Some have already learned the hard way that political rent-seeking and visions of green utopia have made Europe far too dependent on Russian energy.
Another unhealthy dependency is on fertilizers, which Europe imports mainly from China but also from Russia to meet its basic agricultural needs.
undermining the fundamentals
It is even more important for Europe that its countries genuinely respect the democratic and free market values at home and do not sacrifice individual freedom and responsibility on the altar of expediency.
Unfortunately, the West is negating its past; European countries are giving up their distinct characteristics and patriotism for a mediocre multiculturalism. Patriotism means loving, respecting and proud of your country and region. It does not imply the sense of superiority over other countries or cultures that extreme nationalism suggests.
«The old democracies have to do much more than propagate their supposed values. The systemic confrontation with China and Russia is accelerating.”
Polls show that in some European countries, the proportion of citizens willing to fight to defend their homeland and values is alarmingly low. In Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium and Italy the value is below 20 percent, in France below 30 percent.
A clear majority can only be seen in Finland, Turkey and Ukraine. These staggering results demonstrate the pernicious effects of cultural alienation.
The West has acquired a dangerous “liberal-democratic” arrogance that falls short of the aspirations and aspirations in other regions of the world.
While many would like to share in the prosperity that free markets and entrepreneurship have brought them, there are reluctance to bring the best solutions home. Here we are again with the feeling of neo-colonialism mentioned earlier.
Paradoxically, while the West loudly extols its values, it is in the process of undermining the very foundations of its historic successes: individual liberty, personal responsibility, entrepreneurship, competition, property rights, freedom of expression and freedom of speech are in retreat.
This trend is due to a combination of overly restrictive legislation. Added to this is extra-legal pressures that limit academic freedoms and restrict freedom of opinion and speech, e.g. B. radical gender movements, exaggerated political correctness, “stamp culture”, “wokeness” and the like.
To be in favor of a global conflict, the West should revive its successful values and not alienate the Global South.
What should I do?
As in the Cold War, we are entering a new era of fragmentation. China and Russia want to consolidate and expand their geopolitical weight. Their narratives not only show the ambitions and claims of the two powers for a hegemonic position, but also point to the actual and supposed weaknesses of the democracies.
The West must also consolidate its positions. When the G-7 Forum was established in 1973, its seven member states generated more than 70 percent of global gross domestic product (GDP). Since then, this share has shrunk to over 40 percent. Other parts of the world are quickly having their share, demanding more say in global decisions.
There is a risk that the free world will not be able to withstand the global conflict, and war cannot be ruled out. Modern systems have been weakened by technocracies that continually replace democracy and limit freedom.
The old democracies have much more to do than propagate their supposed values. The systemic confrontation with China and Russia is accelerating.
It will be important not to alienate the rest of the world with patronizing arrogance, protectionism and flimsy politics.
The fastest countries & also improve their internal functioning and put their social, economic and fiscal policies in order to renew the strength of democratic systems.
The “Volksblatt” gives guest authors space to express their opinions. This does not have to match that of the editors. Copyright: Geopolitical Intelligence Services AG, Vaduz, 2022. More at www.gisreportsonline.com.
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