Scrapping interdependence for power politics
Writing by abuhatem on Sunday, 31 of August , 2008 at 5:44 am
Gordon Brown is an idiot for calling for anti-market and anti-trade solutions of becoming “independent” of Russia:
Gordon Brown warns today that the West will not be held to ransom by Russia, threatening a ‘root and branch’ review of relations with the Kremlin and urgently moving to stop Britain’s reliance on Russian oil and gas.
So is Nickolas Sarkozy, and George W. Bush and all of these world leaders in this new post-Cold War generation, that are in a short month destroying all of the post-Cold War successes for a return to realist power politics.
Brown advocates “energy independence” from Russian oil which supplies all of Europe. One of the major arguments of both the 19th century classical liberal economists, and liberal internationalists have been that free trade will cause interdependence among nations which will make it harder for political conflict and pacify the international system. Realists have been countering since the end of the Cold War that a 19th century “balance-of-power” system of alliances and power politics was bound to return eventually, and that markets did not pacify the international system.
Yet realists have fallen into a lot of trouble over the past few years. From 1991, until now 2008, it just seemed completely out of the question for there to be any kind of conflict among the great powers. Now, with the West snubbing Russia - again - over this Georgia mess, and thinking it will get away with it, the interdependent international order which began in 1991 is in great danger.
Post-1991 the ratio of exports to the GDP of the major powers - the United States, Germany, Japan, France, the U.K., Russia - has increased tremendously. Without economic self-sufficency it has been extremely improbable that any state would want conflict with another state due to its economic self-interest. This pacifying affect is now disappearing with the U.K. attempting to get off Russian oil, and the E.U. and U.S. snubbing Russia with the missile defense sheild. Russia has no choice but to snub back.
The current order is crumbling, the international system is further changing. Turkey is now torn between both Russia and the U.S. as both are major trading and diplomatic partners to Turkey. The U.S. has forced Russia to open up the strait to the black sea or risk worsening relations, while Russia has threatened to cancel certain trade deals with Turkey if it does not reject the U.S.’s offer. Talk about a rock and a hard place. The international system should not be like this.
Brown’s idiocy on Russia not holding us ransom is crazy talk. Russia wants nothing from the E.U. Firstly, the Russians are extremely weak and there is no chance Russia is going to be invading Europe, especially NATO countries, anytime soon which would be sucide. The E.U. should quit dictating to Russia what to do. This is an internal matter between Georgia and Russia. Talk about the benefits of non-interventionism.
Category: International Relations
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