The recent summit meeting in China of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) in the port city of saw some media reports categorise it as a get-together for dictators.
David Porter
And while that description is something of an overreaction, the SCO did attract the high profile attendance of Russian leader Vladimir Putin and North Korea’s Kim Jong II, who are indeed dictators of their countries.
The SCO attracted more than 20 foreign leaders and the heads of 10 international organisations. Attendees included Indian prime minister Narendra Modi, among others who were in fact democratically elected.
It was Modi’s first visit to China since 2018, and his attendance was very much propelled by the global trade disruption created by US President Donald Trump’s inconsistent levying of tariffs worldwide. Modi’s attendance indicated that countries like India are seeking stronger partnerships with Beijing and other regional players as the country wrestles with the tariffs imposed by the US.
The US president responded to the SCO with a pointed social media post on Truth Social, suggesting that India and Russia have been now “lost” to China. “Looks like we’ve lost India and Russia to deepest, darkest China. May they have a long and prosperous future together!”
It is worth remarking that it is extremely unusual for the leader of a major country to post comments with international implications on a page of his own social media company. Or, for that matter, to post online comments with potentially international and US economic significance.
For any of us who have been studying US politics, it is no surprise that the US politician’s boasts throughout his election campaign – that he could bring the appalling war resulting from the Soviet Union’s invasion of the Ukraine to an end “within a day” of election – have proven to be nonsense.
Donald Trump caricature in New York. Photo: Joshua Santos. pexels.com
In fact, despite Trump literally rolling out the red carpet for Putin at the recent Alaskan summit on Ukraine, Putin has essentially ignored his overtures. And we should keep in mind that Putin’s world travel plans have been considerably truncated in recent times because of the International Criminal Court decision that he should be arrested should he visit any country bound by its rulings. The U.S. is not a state party to the ICC because it has not ratified the relevant Rome Statute. And it has on occasions opposed the Court’s jurisdiction over American citizens and sought to counter its actions.
Perhaps the biggest recent example of declining US authority worldwide was the decision by Israeli prime minister Bibi Netanyahu to facilitate the bombing of Qatar – reportedly using US military equipment and without pre-advising the US. Qatar has been a consistent mediator in talks aimed at bringing peace to Gaza.
Just at a time when the world needs a superpower embodying the concepts of a consistent embrace of democratic values, the US no longer appears capable of playing its traditional role.
Factory and skyscrapers in Tianjin. Photo: Shuaizhi Tian, pexels.com
