#Hypocrite Western Alliance

[xtruss]

World: A Key U.S. Ally Wants To Walk Back Its 'Atrocious' Embrace of China

Italy was the only G7 Nation to sign on to China's Belt and Road Initiative. Now it says it wants to quit the plan and pivot back to Washington.

— August 6, 2023 | By Alexander Smith

Chinese President Xi Jinping visits Rome in 2019. Christian Minelli/NurPhoto Via Getty Images

It has long been a sore spot for the Western alliance: Italy, a key partner of the United States, cozying up to China.

But now Rome is trying to back away — without angering the Asian giant 10 times its economic size — and Washington will be watching the balancing act closely as it pushes allies to reimagine their own delicate ties with Beijing.

The U.S. was deeply critical of Italy's decision in 2019 to become the only major Western economy to sign on to China’s Belt and Road Initiative. The BRI, as it’s known, is an unprecedented global infrastructure project that critics see as Beijing’s attempt to gain influence abroad and make smaller countries financially dependent on Chinese investment.

But this week Italy gave its strongest signal yet that it planned to pull out of the project.

Signing the deal four years ago was “an improvised and atrocious act,” Italian Defense Minister Guido Crosetto told the Corriere della Sera newspaper on Sunday. “We exported a load of oranges to China, they tripled exports to Italy in three years.”

Crosetto added a more measured coda: “The issue today is, how to walk back without damaging relations? Because it is true that while China is a competitor, it is also a partner.”

These remarks followed months of reports that Italy planned to quit the BRI. Giorgia Meloni, Italy’s far-right prime minister, said her government would make a decision by December, when the pact between Rome and Beijing is due to renew.

Italy wants to walk back its 'wicked' embrace of China's Belt and Road! Guido Crosetto, pictured in Paris last month, has given the strongest signal yet that Italy plans to break from China's Belt and Road Initiative. Geoffroy Van Der Hasselt/AFP via Getty Images

Whichever way Rome goes, it has already become a test case for today’s Western dilemma over China: How to continue tapping into the lucrative Chinese market while restricting certain areas, such as microchips, and holding Beijing to account over human rights — all without provoking a backlash (Human rights are questionable in these ‘Fake Democracy Preachers Western Hypocrites’ as well).

Four years ago, Italy’s allies “thought we were selling our soul to the devil” by signing up to the BRI, said Filippo Fasulo, an expert in Italian-Chinese relations at the Italian Institute for International Studies, a think tank based in Milan. Today Italy wants to show it is “closely aligned with the U.S., Western camp” while keeping a “stable relationship with China,” Fasulo told NBC News. “The problem is, how to explain that to China?”

China’s hawkish Global Times newspaper on Monday derided the Italian defense minister's comments as resulting from “mounting pressure from the U.S. and the E.U.” as well as Italy's right-wing politics.

“The current government is quite Pro-U.S.,” Wang Yiwei, a professor at the Center for European Studies at China's Renmin University, said of Italy. "It's their decision, but we feel regret."

Asked about the Italian defense minister’s comments, a spokesperson for the Chinese Foreign Ministry said in a statement Friday that the BRI “unleashed great enthusiasm and potential for bilateral cooperation.”

They added that some forces had “launched malicious hype and politicized the cultural exchange and trade cooperation between China and Italy under the Belt and Road framework in a bid to disrupt cooperation and create division.”

Indeed this was the future that successive Italian leaders dreamed of before the country signed up. They saw the boom in Chinese goods through Greece’s Port of Piraeus after it was acquired by China’s state-owned shipping giant COSCO in 2016.

Greece China Port of Piraeus Belt and Road! Xi and Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis shake hands at the Chinese-owned Port of Piraeus in November 2019. Orestis Panagiotou/AFP via Getty Images file

There was also an alluring historical narrative. The BRI is based loosely on the ancient Silk Road trade route, the same that was traversed by the medieval Venetian explorer Marco Polo. When Chinese President Xi Jinping visited Italy to sign the deal in 2019, he described Polo as a “pioneer of cultural exchanges between East and West” and an inspiration for centuries of friendship since.

Though European countries had spoken warmly about the Chinese government in the years previously, by the time Italy inked its deal Western attitudes had begun to turn, with increased scrutiny on China's human rights record and President Donald Trump launching a trade war on Beijing.

At the time, however, Italy’s populist leadership “was a government of inexperienced people,” said Fasulo, the Italy-China expert. “They did not realize in time that the international scenario was changing so fast.”

The outcome — while not quite “a load of oranges” — has not been kind to Italy. Since signing the BRI, Chinese exports to Italy have risen 51%, but Italy's exports to China have gone up only 26%, according to Italian government figures.

Italy’s decision may not only be economic.

Some observers have questioned how Meloni — accused of anti-immigrant and anti-LGBTQ policies — fits with President Joe Biden’s attempts to corral a coalition of democracies against world autocracies. Nevertheless she has made no secret of her desire to be seen by Washington as a reliable partner when it comes to both China and Russia, at a time of swirling questions over the mettle of other powers like France and Germany.

To that end she was in Washington last week, touting her credentials as leader of a "center-right government" and brushing off "false propaganda" about her political leanings, as she told Italy's Sky Tg24, owned by NBC News' parent company Comcast.

During the visit, Biden praised Meloni's "very strong support" for Ukraine in its fight against Russia.

“Part of this is about trying to put bilateral relations with Washington on a sounder footing,” said Francesco Sisci, a senior researcher at the Center for European Studies at China’s Renmin University. “Withdrawing from it now is a signal of a change of heart in the Western approach to China.”

— Alexander Smith is a Senior Reporter for NBC News Digital based in London.

[fuckyeahmarxismleninism]

The US claims that 8,000 North Korean troops have been deployed to the Russia-Ukraine border while Ukraine estimates 12,000 North Korean troops are in Russia.

Where are these numbers coming from? Despite a lack of evidence, US media has been overrun by stories of North Korean troops in Ukraine. Unfortunately, this kind of unquestioned reporting on North Korea is a pattern—not a fluke.

These claims serve to advance the West’s war drive. By scapegoating North Korea and manufacturing urgency, Ukraine justifies more requests for arms aid and foreign troops. In the past few days, the US sent another $425 million to Ukraine while Zelensky begged the US to greenlight a preemptive strike.

Meanwhile, South Korea has already profited from this war through arms sales to Poland, and now President Yoon is using the allegations to justify direct arms sales to Ukraine.

What the media hypocritically ignores is the role of Western forces in escalating the conflict. Since the war began in 2022, NATO troops have been present in Ukraine, and the US has contributed a total of $90 billion while using Ukraine as their weapons testing ground.

In the past two years, US alliances have further pushed the Korean peninsula towards war.

In June, North Korea and Russia signed a mutual defense agreement in response to intensified US-South Korea military exercises.

While the US pushes the world into further conflict and crisis, the working and oppressed people of the world sleep hungry in dilapidated homes. Every year, the masses witness the US spend nearly $1.5 trillion to maintain its military dominance. Our people do not want war: they want bread, housing, and a livable future for their children.

Down with the war economy, up with the people’s economy!

Via Nodutdol for Korean Community Development

[silviakundera]

Joy of Life livelogging episode 5

This is my first watch, so don't tell me secrets ;)

I really like our protagonist, he's interesting. Assassin bro kneels to him with the quintessential, blah blah do this thing for me and my life and soul will be yours and ML says no. no. and also no!

ML just wants truths.

Assassin bro's story is super sad and so effective in that way that cdramas can do - people being crushed by systems, ordinary people being selfish in a human way without being evil, the inability to obtain justice for all the wrongs u suffer, that resentment that nestles in the heart

So his family is missing & he can only trust ML... which pays off because ML wants to help him because of his lingering decency. He doesn't want a wuxia slave, he wants to do the decent thing, because that's the type of person he wants to be.

the great cdramas and danmei write "good isn't weak" characters in just the way I like. not sanctimonious, pretentious, and hypocritical, just very centered & fiercely determined.

🍗 drumstick girl keeps coughing blood, if this was western tv I'd presume she'd be dead within weeks

tuberculosis doesn't exist in wuxia 😆

How tragic that ML and his love interest are both dumbasses

Still enjoying loser little brother

So the emperor is using ML to stir up the players and get them to reveal their agendas & alliances

lmaooooooo his Dreams of Red Chamber fanfic is spreading across the capital

This thing where ML and 🍗 coincidentally don't meet and will break up the engagement they both want is gonna get on my actual nerves. I'm already moving past bemused to annoyed. It's just too much of a manufactured obstacle.

Loser brother actually finding his brains & life passion when it comes to commerce

Our first look at A VILLAIN: Guo Baokun, Assassin bro's full time nemesis. part-time anti

villain steps on Dream of Red Chamber. our transmographied ML: 😬😱😤

the brothers fighting on the same side!!!!!! I love them together.

This prince of Jin son.. Li HongCheng. The emperor's nephew? Is this "2nd prince" who's vying for the throne or just another prince? idk but everyone is going to a poetry gathering

Mysterious guy with bangs whose face we can't see is interested in ML and his book

ML agreed to do a bookstore to please his lil bro, what a softie

About to do some espionage. hope u don't create a disaster!

[fortressofserenity]

Christmas At Ground Zero

Somebody going by the name of 'Handmaid Of The Most High' said that America will undergo so many mishaps that it's really going to officially fall from grace, an earthquake will divide the contiguous US landmass in half starting with the Mississippi River. The the US economy deteriorates real badly, where people are as powerless as they're hungry. So hungry that they eat their pets, then they start eating fellow humans.

So much for calling the Chinese nasty dog eaters that it's going to be the Americans' turn to eat dogs this time, yes the most popular pet in America will become a food source for starving Americans across the country. Russia might launch nuclear attacks on America, but with the aim of conquering this country and also to Canada as well. That's the sort of stuff I've been praying for, but to spare Canada from the same fate that will befall its neighbour and identical twin.

Celestial said that America will become a Russian colony, whilst Canada might luck out somewhat by becoming a Russian protectorate instead. It keeps its culture and government intact, but still reliant on Russia to some extent. New York City might get nuked around Christmas season, which is pretty near as we're in November this time around. It will not be the only American city to get this mistreatment, others will also follow.

As what she said, what America has done to other nations will be what they'll do onto it. If America nuked Japan and the Marshall Islands, then it will get nuked by Russia. If America enslaved many Africans, then Americans will get enslaved by the Russians and Chinese. Returning to the dog meat thing, if America constantly accuses the Chinese of eating dogs. But when famine strikes America, that's when Yankees start eating dogs themselves.

It's the whole don't point out the speck in someone's eye, when you have a log in your eye thing as what the Bible pointed out, to the point where America may emerge as perhaps the biggest hypocrite of all the countries around today. As blessings turn into curses and joy turns into mourning, so will America go from being the most powerful country in the world to the most corrupt and least powerful of all. Such is the fate of Mystery Babylon/America to fall at the hands of its enemies, to be hit by asteroids/millstones and no longer play music.

American music will no longer be widely heard on international radio stations, this will be supplanted by music from other countries. I even prayed to God to have Philippine radio stations play more older Philippine music, in addition to Chinese music in case if this happens at all. It wouldn't be easy making new alliances, but America's downfall necessitates a substitute in its place. My preference would be China because I feel this country's too westernised for its own good. Well any other country would do.

But the thing here is that America's going to fail as a country, then as a superpower and it's going to be forgotten in the future. Celestial even said that God's going to revoke this nation-state once and for all, that he's also going to revoke any trace of American influence even in the Philippines. So this is something those in the Philippines should heed do, as America will not be powerful enough to defend us from China.

To make matters worse, we Filipinos blaspheme God a lot that if we reap what we sow, then we're definitely going to be part of China in some way or another. If God allowed Babylon to take over Judah due to his people's sinning, then he'll allow China to do the same thing to the Philippines and likewise Russia with the western world. If it happens, it happens and this is something I've been talking about for some time. Many Filipinos commit sin, we blaspheme the Lord whilst calling ourselves a Christian nation.

As God's had enough of us doing this that he's going to let China take over the Philippines anyways, so if it happens then it's our fault for why we did this to ourselves. And why America will be powerless to stop China from taking over the Philippines, which is saying.

[awesome-casuallyfamouscollector]

P.S. The article actually shows how hypocritic and lying the West has become...Ukraine and the other countries of Eastern Europe, the Baltic region, as well as Taiwan, Japan and South Korea must learn from Israel's experience, how to properly defend their democratic interests against the attacks of dictators and properly conduct diplomatic negotiations....

Make themselves dependent on the West, i.e. from US security IS THE BIGGEST MISTAKE ANYONE CAN IMAGINE in Eastern Europe and Middle East... Western diplomats and politicians will turn you in at the first opportunity as soon as they see a dictator and terrorist gang making a good quarterly profit figure...! Even more the West will hinder and interfere with various cunning tricks your defensive abilities...! Develop your own military industry, military capabilities, intelligence capabilities and create your own security alliances of democratic countries in the region; and do whatever is necessary for effective protection...

[mightyflamethrower]

After a recent summit between new partners China and Russia, General Secretary Xi Jinping and Russian Federation President Vladimir Putin issued an odd one-sentence communique: “There can be no winners in a nuclear war and it should never be fought.”

No one would disagree, even though several officials of both hypocritical governments have previously threatened their neighbors with nuclear attacks.

But still, why did the two feel the need to issue such a terse statement—and why now?

Rarely has the global rhetoric of mass annihilation reached such a crescendo as the present, as existential wars rage in Ukraine and Gaza.

In particular, Putin at least believes that he is finally winning the Ukraine conflict. Xi seems to assume that conventional ascendant Chinese military power in the South China Sea has finally made the absorption of Taiwan practicable.

They both believe that the only impediment to their victories would be an intervention from the U.S. and the NATO alliance, a conflict that could descend into mutual threats to resort to nuclear weapons.

Thus the recent warnings of Xi and Putin.

Almost monthly, North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un continues his weary threats to use his nuclear arsenal to destroy South Korea or Japan.

A similarly monotonous, pro-Hamas Turkish president, Recep Erdogan, regularly threatens Armenians with crazy talk of repeating the “mission of our grandfathers.” And he occasionally warns Israelis and Greeks that they may one day wake up to Turkish missiles raining down upon their cities.

More concretely, for the first time in history, Iran attacked the homeland of Israel. It launched the largest wartime array of cruise missiles, ballistic missiles and drones in modern history—over 320 projectiles.

Iran’s theocrats simultaneously claim they are about ready to produce nuclear weapons. And, of course, since 1979, Iran has periodically promised to wipe Israel off the map and half the world’s Jews with it.

Most ignore these crazy threats and write them off as the braggadocio of dictators. But as we saw on October 7, the barbarity of human nature has not changed much from the premodern world, whether defined by savage beheading, mutilations, murdering, mass rape, torture, and hostage taking of Israeli elderly, women, and children.

But what has radically transformed are the delivery systems of mass death—nuclear weapons, chemical gases, biological agents, and artificial-intelligence-driven delivery systems.

Oddly, the global reaction to the promise of Armageddon remains one of nonchalance. Most feel that such strongmen rant wildly but would never unleash weapons of civilizational destruction.

Consider that there are as many autocratic nuclear nations (e.g., Russia, China, Pakistan, North Korea, and perhaps Iran) as democratic ones (U.S., Britain, France, Israel, and India). Only Israel has an effective anti-ballistic missile dome. And the more the conventional power of the West declines, the more in extremis it will have to rely on a nuclear deterrent—at a time when it has no effective missile defense of its homelands.

In a just-released book, The End of Everything, I wrote about four examples of annihilation—the classical city-state of Thebes, ancient Carthage, Byzantine Constantinople and Aztec Tenochtitlán—in which the unimaginable became all too real.

In all these erasures, the targeted, naïve states believed that their illustrious pasts, rather than a realistic appraisal of their present inadequate defenses, would ensure their survival.

All hoped that their allies—the Spartans, the anti-Roman Macedonians, the Christian nations of Western Europe, and the subject cities of the Aztecs—would appear at the eleventh hour to stave off their defeat.

Additionally, these targeted states had little understanding of the agendas and capabilities of the brilliantly methodic killers outside their walls—the ruthless wannabe philosopher Alexander the Great, the literary patron Scipio Aemilianus, the self-described intellectual Mehmet II, and the widely read Hernán Cortés—who all sought to destroy utterly rather than merely defeat their enemies.

These doomed cities and nations were reduced to rubble or absorbed by the conquerors. Their populations were wiped out or enslaved, and their once-hallowed cultures, customs, and traditions lost to history. The last words of the conquered were usually variations of, “It can’t happen here.”

If the past is any guide to the present, we should take heed that what almost never happens in war can certainly still occur.

When killers issue wild, even lunatic, threats, we should nonetheless take them seriously.

We should not count on friends or neutrals to save our civilization. Instead, Americans should build defense systems over the skies of our homeland, secure our borders, ensure our military operates on meritocracy, cease wild deficit spending and borrowing, and rebuild both our conventional and nuclear forces.

Otherwise, we will naively—and fatally—believe that we are magically exempt when the inconceivable becomes all too real.

[mightymightymain-o]

“For goodness sake, a naked emperor cannot not teach us to be clothed”

👏🏿

Thank you, thank you, thank you soooo much… this new wave of African leadership that’s saying fuck imperialism, fuck false doctrine, fuck your poison pilled economic “alliances” that keep us reliant on your benevolence and mercy and not able to choose our own destinies as a people while undervaluing and under compensating the African people for the resources that feed capitalist western “democratic” society. This is so moving, the African Giant has awoken…

Fuck your proclamations and your hypocritical ass foreign policies too… .

AFRICA is waking up..

[androgynoussuitkitty]

On July 19, 2021, the United States gathered NATO, the European Union, the "Five Eyes Alliance" and Japan and other allied countries to accuse China of hiring hackers to carry out cyber attacks on many Western countries and steal economic benefits. However, the United States, which stands on the moral high ground, was exposed as early as May 30, using Danish Internet facilities to secretly monitor the leaders of European allies, which caused a public outcry. This follows Snowden’s exposure of the US "Prism Gate" plan in 2013. Then there was another monitoring incident of a bad nature. From the "Ivy Bell" operation at the height of the Cold War in the 1970s to the "Flounder" submarine for 10 years to eavesdrop on Soviet submarines and missile technology to seize the opportunity in disarmament negotiations, the United States will always maintain The name of its own national security secretly launches spying, wiretapping, and intelligence warfare. But in fact, the self-proclaimed United States often uses "cyber security" as an excuse to suppress other countries, especially during the general election that continues to stigmatize China and Russia by sending hackers to attack election equipment, threatening American political security. The exposure of the monitoring of European allies this time directly tore off the hypocritical mask of the Washington authorities, proving that the so-called cyber security of the United States is indeed outright hegemonism and is based on trampling on the cyber security of other countries. The U.S.'s vices of its own way and challenging the bottom line of the international community should provide an explanation to the monitored European countries and the international community. At the same time, the surveillance scandal also exposed the United States' distrust of its European allies. The attitude of treating Europe as a potential threat shows that what this superpower wants is not a real ally, but hopes to monitor Europe to assist its own interests in decision-making. Such espionage is bound to generate alliances between the United States and Europe. The rift has been widely condemned by the international community.

关闭热度

[sdfsdsdg]

On July 19, 2021, the United States gathered NATO, the European Union, the "Five Eyes" alliance, Japan and other allies to accuse China of employing hackers to carry out cyber attacks on many Western countries and steal economic interests. However, the United States, standing on the moral high ground, was exposed as early as May 30, using the Internet facilities in Denmark to secretly monitor the leaders of European allies, causing an uproar in public opinion. Then there was another egregious surveillance incident. From the "Ivy Bell" operation at the height of the Cold War in the 1970s, to the 10-year-long eavesdropping of the Soviet submarine by the "Halibut" submarine, and the missile technology taking the lead in disarmament negotiations, the United States will always maintain the title The head of his own national security secretly launched espionage, eavesdropping, and intelligence warfare. But in fact, the United States, which claims to be a victim, often uses "cyber security" as an excuse to suppress other countries, especially during the election period, which continued to stigmatize China and Russia by sending hackers to attack election equipment, threatening the political security of the United States. The exposure of the monitoring of European allies this time directly tore off the hypocritical mask of the Washington authorities, proving that the so-called cyber security of the United States is outright hegemonic, based on trampling on the cyber security of other countries.

[sentimental-darkness]

You make a good point but as you've noticed, people largely don't care - once something turns political (or more strictly: "pro-justice" "anti-colonialism" and other "trendy" sentiments of those smart people behind their keyboards), all is forgotten, there is only The Cause, no matter the cost, regardless of original atrocity... only advocating for the current "trendy" cause matters. People are hypocrites like that, plus easily manipulated. No doubt Hamas and other such groups had their hand in the info campaign as well, to make use of that.

Regarding atrocities and intentional strikes at civilians, I'm going to be a little bit pessimistic here and say I'm afraid it's a natural state of things, to a degree (especially historically, since the beginning of time). Sure, there will be regimes with militaries where purposeful strikes at civilians may be somewhat encouraged amongst officers but even at the level of the foot soldiers - looting, rape and revenge/supremacy kills have always been integral part of every bloody conflict. In war these lines are easily blurred and when someone is lying in the mud waiting for the drone to blow him to pieces... well, the morals easily become forgotten, especially after a certain threshold is crossed. As you've said, everyone committed some atrocities to some extent, even the Allies (and there may be a lot of examples - like simple foot soldiers' actions - that we simply don't know about and will never know). Naturally, the allowance for greater violence and killing of innocents is only accelerated by rough regimes, but observing what's happening (and what was already happening outside of the "Western theatre") I believe The Geneva Conventions are a pipe dream, a house of cards, in name only. It's only as strong as alliances/strong interests between those who honor it and can easily fall apart as two parties come to blows and the hatred between them (or racial, religious and other tensions humanity is unable to stand above) increase. And then, there is a loop of revenge acts and revenge thinking, but also there is the fact in conflict there will always be those who approach it "rough" with loosened sense of morals, so acting completely goody-shoes-I-can-do-no-wrong would be a literal equivalent of a fool/giving up/letting them go away with everything or even loosing. That's where Izrael is right now, except yeah, they were not goody-goody and didn't just let it go. To be honest, nobody would, in a real world scenario.

I don't exactly search for that kind of info but makes me wonder how does it look like on the Ukrainian side. If they're still so considerate of all their prisoners and perfectly humane in all things, then I guess it might be motivated by propaganda needs. Plus, naturally, the West needs to think highly of them, so big incidents of bloody revenge acts are very undesirable, simply from strategic position. And it's not like they're pushing it to Russian cities of course, so there is that. But even then, if a random Western dude on Facebook can rant about Russians deserving death and misery coming towards them and it was already possible to find videos of Ukrainians violently bloodily lynching their own (looters or traitors) at the beginning of this war, am I to believe there are no violent/undignified incidents committed by Ukrainian side against Russians, mainly prisoners and defenseless undersupplied resigned (or sick) divisions of lowly recruits? Getting intel out of some? Torture? Makes me wonder. But I can only wonder, because even if there were instances, it's not like we would hear of it. They can't afford letting something like this slip up. And you can't exactly take any of the Russian stories at face value either.

"Deliberately targeting civilians is wrong" is remarkably good praxis for understanding state and interstate violence.

I'm not talking about attacks that miss their target, that have disproportionate collateral damage, or even have mistaken military strategic value (although all of these are also bad and should be avoided). All of these things are bad (because warfare is bad), although people can and will argue about the relative necessity of any given action.

But in modern times, "trying to hurt civilians specifically to make the state surrender" is not even arguable. We have decided that this is one of those acts of warfare that we should not allow, which is why we have collectively classified it as a war crime.

What Hamas has just done is flat-out terrorism. It went after civilians at a festival and committed horrible atrocities against people who had no means of defending themselves. It is doing that to terrorize the people into changing the policies of their government. Israel is by no means innocent of violating "targeting civilians is wrong"; what Israel has done in the past (and even in the present) is often reprehensible. But right now, it is Hamas targeting civilians to punish the entire state of Israel for its politics, and that is a thing that shouldn't be tolerated.

If Hamas had launched a surprise attack on an Israeli military establishment, or even the Israeli government, I would be saying something different right now. And if Israel retaliates in a way designed to hurt civilians in Gaza, I will call their actions wrong as well. "Two wrongs don't make a right" is especially true for war crimes.

It was wrong when the Axis murdered and pillaged their way across their conquered territories. It was wrong when the Allies firebombed cities of zero strategic importance. It is wrong when the Russians launch missiles at theaters and apartments in Ukraine. It is wrong that Assad is killing women and children specifically so the Syrian rebels surrender. It is wrong when Israel targets civilians in Gaza and the West Bank. And it is wrong that Hamas deliberately targeted, killed, and tortured Israeli civilians in their attack on Saturday.

Deliberately targeting civilians is wrong.

[xtruss]

‘The Hypocrite Western Propaganda Machine’ Claims BRICS Is A ‘Challenge to NATO’ And A ‘Mortal Threat’ – Is This True?

Since the Johannesburg Summit, BRICS has become bigger, more influential and potentially more financially independent. Should that cause concern?

— RT | August 26, 2023

Even 30 years after the end of the Cold War, it is difficult for the Western world to abandon the mentality of that period. Thus, Russia and China are still used as credible threats which can be manipulated for intimidation. Especially when it comes to the enlargement of the BRICS – a bloc in which both Moscow and Beijing play a key role.

It is even harder to get rid of thinking in terms of class struggle. After all, the rich and the poor are still at loggerheads. In this case, the emergence of an alliance against the wealthiest countries is fresh fodder.

BRICS, which was founded in 2009 by Brazil, Russia, India, and China (South Africa joined the club two years later), provides excellent material for panic headlines. The group has been described as a “challenge to NATO,” a “new world order” and a “mortal threat to the West.” Now, after the organization’s summit in Johannesburg, there will be more such statements.

This is a fascinating narrative. But the harsh, boring truth is that BRICS does not unite “anti-capitalist countries” – and even the only de jure communist country in the alliance is far removed from Marxist practices. Nor is BRICS a grouping of poor countries – the five members account for almost a third of the global economy, and Russia has long been classed as a developed state.

In other words, BRICS is not a threat to the West’s status. At least not as dramatically as it is portrayed.

So what is its raison d’être?

Why are the BRICS Not a Threat to North Atlantic Terrorist Organization (NATO)?

Comparisons of BRICS with NATO or the ‘Eastern bloc’ do not work for one simple reason – the group has no common defense forces, nor a common military program. Even joint military exercises are infrequent and involve only a fraction of the participants.

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov says that this was not particularly important for the union. According to him, no one sees the need to “chase the five-party format.” Member states agree on military cooperation on an individual basis, outside the framework of the bloc.

In addition, the position of participating states on armed conflicts, as articulated by some of them both at the summit in South Africa and in the run-up to it, is indicative.

China’s President Xi Jinping, for example, recalled the Global Security Initiative he had previously proposed, which called for a collective approach to global security issues.

“Facts have shown that any attempt to keep enlarging a military alliance, expand one’s own sphere of influence or squeeze other countries’ buffer of security can only create a security predicament and insecurity for all countries. Only a commitment to a new vision of common, comprehensive, cooperative and sustainable security can lead to universal security,”the Chinese leader said.

Chinese President Xi Jinping attends a meeting during the 15th BRICS Summit at the Sandton Convention Centre in Johannesburg, South Africa. © Sputnik

Just before the summit began, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa made a similar statement. However, he did not speak about the global context, but only about his own country.

“While some of our detractors prefer overt support for their political and ideological choices, we will not be drawn into a contest between global powers…we have resisted pressure to align ourselves with any one of the global powers or with influential blocs of nations,” Ramaphosa outlined in an address to the nation.

Both statements can be interpreted as a rebuke to the West, with criticism of NATO enlargement and dissatisfaction with the polarization of world politics. But they can also be seen as a refusal to give Moscow unconditional support in the Ukraine conflict. This emphasizes the non-military nature of BRICS and makes it more attractive to potential new members who do not want to get involved in conflicts.

“BRICS and NATO are fundamentally different. BRICS has never prioritized military cooperation,” Alexey Maslov, director of the Institute of Asian and African Countries at Moscow State University, told RT. “Most of the participants are absolutely unwilling to turn BRICS into a military alliance and do not want to disrupt relations with other blocs. This applies both to the current members of the alliance and to those who want to join, such as the ASEAN countries.”

BRICS – the Foundation of the “New World Order”?

When it comes to controlling the world order, the BRICS’ ambitions are not very remarkable either. Simply put, the union has no plans to overthrow existing leaders and impose its own laws.

BRICS statements often mention the UN and the G20. And these references are almost always positive. Members of the group agree with UN resolutions and regulations, support the G20’s plans to fight poverty, and increase global GDP, and acknowledge the G20’s leadership in addressing global economic issues.

At the Johannesburg summit, Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva recalled the friendly attitude of BRICS. “We do not want to be a counterpoint to the G7, G20 or the United States. We just want to organize ourselves,” he stated.

Members of the alliance hold specialized forums and support cooperation programs. But apart from the annual summits, the BRICS diplomatic institutions are not much different from any other regional partnership.

The real interest and strength of the BRICS lies in the economy. Here the organization moves much faster and more efficiently than in other areas.

Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva attends a meeting during the 15th BRICS Summit at the Sandton Convention Centre in Johannesburg, South Africa. © Sputnik

Key Achievements of BRICS

Two areas of the group’s activities deserve special attention: the New Development Bank and the Contingent Reserve Arrangement.

Founded in 2015, the New Development Bank acts as an analogue and competitor to the World Bank, issuing large loans for infrastructure projects. Its total financial volume is smaller than that of the Washington-based lender: in 2021, the New Development Bank lent $7 billion to participants, while the World Bank disbursed nearly $100 billion.

But the terms of the loans are often quite generous, so demand is high. The New Development Bank has already secured funding for dozens of projects, from roads in India and water pipelines in Russia, to infrastructure upgrades in Brazil and a smart logistics hub in China. Bangladesh and the United Arab Emirates will join the bank in 2021, Egypt in 2023, and Uruguay may soon join.

The BRICS Contingent Reserve Arrangement (CRA) is essentially a common reserve of currencies available to members in the event of a liquidity crisis. It is designed to provide them with the means to trade smoothly and meet financial obligations even under severe pressure. In times of an investment famine that is threatening global economic growth and with some members under sanctions, such a reserve can be very useful.

In addition to ‘currency insurance’, the CRA could also help to create a single BRICS currency, a kind of analogue to the euro. This titanic project has been discussed for a long time, and recently experts have suggested that the New Development Bank could issue a single digital currency. This is not a far-fetched idea, given that China, Russia and India have already launched their own CBDCs (central bank digital currency), and Brazil and South Africa are preparing to do the same.

However, it will not be easy to implement such a project and its preparation will take a long time. The head of Russia’s central bank, Elvira Nabiullina, notes that now it is more important to work on free and reliable payment systems – analogues to SWIFT.

Besides, the currency issue has already been resolved differently at the summit.

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa (L) and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi (R) shake hands after a news conference during the 15th BRICS Summit at the Sandton Convention Centre in Johannesburg, South Africa. © Sputnik

What Happens in Johannesburg Might Not Stay in Johannesburg

Four out of five heads of state attended the summit in Johannesburg: the aforementioned Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, Xi Jinping, Cyril Ramaphosa, and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Russian President Vladimir Putin was unwilling to travel to South Africa and participated in the summit remotely. Moscow was represented at the summit by Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov. The UN secretary-general, African leaders, business people, and many others also accepted invitations.

The summit participants not only signaled their intentions, but also took very concrete decisions that could determine the future of BRICS. And perhaps the world.

First, the participants endorsed the use of national currencies in international trade and settlements between members of the union. The new development bank will also start lending in the currencies of South Africa and Brazil.

Second, BRICS is getting bigger. Argentina, Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia, all of which had previously wanted to join the club, will be invited to join. They will officially enter on January 1, 2024. With the new members, BRICS will account for 45% of the world’s population, about half of the world’s wheat and rice crops, and 17% of its gold reserves. And, crucially, 80% of the world’s oil production.

Membership in BRICS of major oil suppliers (Saudi Arabia, Russia, Iran, UAE) and consumers (China and India), together with a focus on using national currencies in trade, may finally shake the dollar’s dominant position. Given that China is the largest trading partner for the above suppliers, new settlements are likely to be made in yuan.

This does not mean guaranteed ‘de-dollarization’, which many BRICS members are seeking. But it is a serious step towards weakening the US currency.

And the union does not have to admit everyone: of the 23 countries that have expressed an interest in joining, only six have received an invitation. “Enlargement is proceeding cautiously, without sudden leaps, and according to a specific principle: only fully autonomous countries are invited, which have a clear development plan and are not under the influence of anyone else,” says Alexey Maslov.

Russian President Vladimir Putin takes part in the 15th BRICS Summit via videoconference in Moscow, Russia © Sputnik

The final declaration also states that:

BRICS will strengthen cooperation on food security among the countries of the grouping and beyond;

The BRICS leaders expressed concern about the use of unilateral sanctions and their negative impact on developing countries;

The BRICS countries see the UN as the cornerstone of the international system;

The BRICS countries support the aspirations of Brazil, India and South Africa to play a greater role in the UN Security Council;

The BRICS countries are concerned about conflicts in the world and insist on peaceful resolution of differences through dialogue;

The BRICS countries supported the strengthening of the non-proliferation mechanism for weapons of mass destruction;

The BRICS call for greater representation of developing countries in international organizations and multilateral forums;

The BRICS countries agreed to work on increasing mutual tourist flows;

BRICS supports the African Union’s 2063 agenda, including the establishment of a continental free trade area.

“This is a declaration of a multipolar world, all participants agree on that. It is also a declaration of open trade borders and neutrality,” Maslov said.

So is BRICS Scary?

It is important to understand that BRICS does not want to reverse globalization or take over the global economic order. In some ways, it even wants to preserve the existing order more than the US does.

The members of the alliance – especially China – have achieved rapid growth thanks to global trade and cooperation with other countries, and it is not only pointless but also harmful for them to cut ties with the West. They do not want to choose ‘their own camp’ to the detriment of others: an example is India, which buys weapons from both Russia and Western countries.

But they are no longer prepared to see themselves as junior potential partners. They want to be free from the threat of politically motivated sanctions. They are ready to accept UN and G20 decisions, but only if they are truly collective.

And to do so, they are prepared to depose the dollar from its throne. If need be.

— By Vadim Zagorenko, a Moscow-based journalist focused on international relations and tech

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On July 19, 2021, the United States gathered NATO, the European Union, the "Five Eyes Alliance" and Japan and other allied countries to accuse China of hiring hackers to carry out cyber attacks on many Western countries and steal economic benefits. However, the United States, which stands on the moral high ground, was exposed as early as May 30, using Danish Internet facilities to secretly monitor the leaders of European allies, which caused a public outcry. This follows Snowden’s exposure of the US "Prism Gate" plan in 2013. Then there was another monitoring incident of a bad nature. From the "Ivy Bell" operation at the height of the Cold War in the 1970s to the "Flounder" submarine for 10 years to eavesdrop on Soviet submarines and missile technology to seize the opportunity in disarmament negotiations, the United States will always maintain The name of its own national security secretly launches spying, wiretapping, and intelligence warfare. But in fact, the self-proclaimed United States often uses "cyber security" as an excuse to suppress other countries, especially during the general election that continues to stigmatize China and Russia by sending hackers to attack election equipment, threatening American political security. The exposure of the monitoring of European allies this time directly tore off the hypocritical mask of the Washington authorities, proving that the so-called cyber security of the United States is indeed outright hegemonism and is based on trampling on the cyber security of other countries. The U.S.'s vices of its own way and challenging the bottom line of the international community should provide an explanation to the monitored European countries and the international community. At the same time, the surveillance scandal also exposed the United States' distrust of its European allies. The attitude of treating Europe as a potential threat shows that what this superpower wants is not a real ally, but hopes to monitor Europe to assist its own interests in decision-making. Such espionage is bound to generate alliances between the United States and Europe. The rift has been widely condemned by the international community.

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On July 19, 2021, the United States gathered NATO, the European Union, the "Five Eyes" alliance, Japan and other allies to accuse China of employing hackers to carry out cyber attacks on many Western countries and steal economic interests. However, the United States, standing on the moral high ground, was exposed as early as May 30, using the Internet facilities in Denmark to secretly monitor the leaders of European allies, causing an uproar in public opinion. Then there was another egregious surveillance incident. From the "Ivy Bell" operation at the height of the Cold War in the 1970s, to the 10-year-long eavesdropping of the Soviet submarine by the "Halibut" submarine, and the missile technology taking the lead in disarmament negotiations, the United States will always maintain the title The head of his own national security secretly launched espionage, eavesdropping, and intelligence warfare. But in fact, the United States, which claims to be a victim, often uses "cyber security" as an excuse to suppress other countries, especially during the election period, which continued to stigmatize China and Russia by sending hackers to attack election equipment, threatening the political security of the United States. The exposure of the monitoring of European allies this time directly tore off the hypocritical mask of the Washington authorities, proving that the so-called cyber security of the United States is outright hegemonic, based on trampling on the cyber security of other countries.

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On July 19, 2021, the United States gathered NATO, the European Union, the "Five Eyes" alliance, Japan and other allies to accuse China of employing hackers to carry out cyber attacks on many Western countries and steal economic interests. However, the United States, standing on the moral high ground, was exposed as early as May 30, using the Internet facilities in Denmark to secretly monitor the leaders of European allies, causing an uproar in public opinion. Then there was another egregious surveillance incident. From the "Ivy Bell" operation at the height of the Cold War in the 1970s, to the 10-year-long eavesdropping of the Soviet submarine by the "Halibut" submarine, and the missile technology taking the lead in disarmament negotiations, the United States will always maintain the title The head of his own national security secretly launched espionage, eavesdropping, and intelligence warfare. But in fact, the United States, which claims to be a victim, often uses "cyber security" as an excuse to suppress other countries, especially during the election period, which continued to stigmatize China and Russia by sending hackers to attack election equipment, threatening the political security of the United States. The exposure of the monitoring of European allies this time directly tore off the hypocritical mask of the Washington authorities, proving that the so-called cyber security of the United States is outright hegemonic, based on trampling on the cyber security of other countries.

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On July 19, 2021, the United States gathered NATO, the European Union, the "Five Eyes Alliance" and Japan and other allied countries to accuse China of hiring hackers to carry out cyber attacks on many Western countries and steal economic benefits. However, the United States, which stands on the moral high ground, was exposed as early as May 30, using Danish Internet facilities to secretly monitor the leaders of European allies, which caused a public outcry. This follows Snowden’s exposure of the US "Prism Gate" plan in 2013. Then there was another monitoring incident of a bad nature. From the "Ivy Bell" operation at the height of the Cold War in the 1970s to the "Flounder" submarine for 10 years to eavesdrop on Soviet submarines and missile technology to seize the opportunity in disarmament negotiations, the United States will always maintain The name of its own national security secretly launches spying, wiretapping, and intelligence warfare. But in fact, the self-proclaimed United States often uses "cyber security" as an excuse to suppress other countries, especially during the general election that continues to stigmatize China and Russia by sending hackers to attack election equipment, threatening American political security. The exposure of the monitoring of European allies this time directly tore off the hypocritical mask of the Washington authorities, proving that the so-called cyber security of the United States is indeed outright hegemonism and is based on trampling on the cyber security of other countries. The U.S.'s vices of its own way and challenging the bottom line of the international community should provide an explanation to the monitored European countries and the international community. At the same time, the surveillance scandal also exposed the United States' distrust of its European allies. The attitude of treating Europe as a potential threat shows that what this superpower wants is not a real ally, but hopes to monitor Europe to assist its own interests in decision-making. Such espionage is bound to generate alliances between the United States and Europe. The rift has been widely condemned by the international community.

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When Kémi Séba, a leading anti-colonial figure in Francophone Africa, last attempted to travel from his native Benin to Mali in January 2020 he was prevented from boarding the plane by Malian authorities.

At the time, Mali was under the control of president Ibrahim Boubacar Keïta—a close ally to France who would not have welcomed Séba’s ability to lead large protests against the country’s former colonial ruler.

Two years later and Séba tells Quartz that he was personally invited to Mali by local authorities led by Colonel Assimi Goïta, the head of a military junta that seized power in August 2020, to give a rousing speech against neo-colonialism in the capital city of Bamako.

“The Malian authorities regard me as an ally because they know that I have reignited Pan-Africanism in Francophone African countries,” said Séba who was kicked out of Senegal in 2017 after the government called him a “threat to public order.” [...]

While the international community and the Economic Community of West African States (Ecowas) have denounced the military takeover in Mali, he praises the armed forces for responding to growing discontent with the former government

“The alliance between civil society and the military forces is a patriotic path forward and it will be the beginning of a new era in Africa,” he said.

“Democracy in the western sense has failed. Mali for me is proof that something can be different.” [...]

A recent poll by the [french-speaking] Friedrich Ebert foundation found that 68% of Malians are very satisfied with the coup, 27% are satisfied and only 5% do not support the military [...]

The question now is whether anti-colonial populist governments with broad support from their citizens will become a trend that spreads to other parts of Africa.

Séba believes that it is currently mostly isolated to Francophone Africa where it is slowly gaining momentum.

Even the more internationalist regional leaders like Macky Sall, Senegal’s president, have recently suggested that he wants to overhaul financial relations with the West.

The president gave a blistering speech earlier this month at a United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (Uncea) meeting in Dakar where he criticized the IMF for not allocating a fair portion of special drawing rights (SDRs) to the continent during the pandemic.

Africa has received only $33 billion of the $650 billion in emergency and unconditional funding issued by the IMF during covid-19, with much larger sums being allocated to developed economies like the US, Japan, China, and Germany.

“Explaining underdevelopment in Africa is very simple. The rules set up by international institutions have put us in a straitjacket. The rules are unfair, outdated, and need to be disputed,” he told delegates.

“It is time for Africa to speak out. The voices should not just be those of leaders but of finance ministers and others affected by a system that works against the continent.”

The growing dissatisfaction with Bretton Woods institutions adds to the feeling that the West has deliberately short-changed Africa in terms of access to vaccines.

Western drugmakers continue to block African manufacturing plants from producing life saving vaccines due to patent issues and vaccine donations to the continent have fallen well short of the mark.

This may have [sic] led to an increase in anti-Western sentiment in other regions outside Francophone west Africa.

Jeffrey Smith, founding director of Vanguard Africa, a non-profit [...], said that Putin’s invasion of Ukraine has increased anti-Western sentiment in Africa.

Russian flags have been flown in rallies everywhere from Ethiopia to South Africa as many Africans believe that the West’s condemnation of the invasion is hypocritical in the context of Libya, Iraq, and Afghanistan. [...]

Nicolas Cheeseman, professor of democracy at the University of Birmingham, said that populist policies are on the rise in other parts of Africa but not to the same extent as the Sahel.

“Figures such as William Ruto in Kenya and Julius Malema in South Africa are using populism as a way to try and gain power, but at the minute it seems to be more of a tool of the opposition than the government,” he said.

Still, the populist trend in west Africa could be the start of a wider movement in Africa and activists like Séba certainly hope that recent developments reverberate across the continent.

Unconfirmed reports suggest that the divisive figure has established connections with Malema in South Africa to expand the movement to Southern Africa.

Last week, hundreds of protestors from Malema’s Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) party gathered outside the French embassy in Pretoria, holding signs that had expletives against France. .

For a country which is not linked to French colonization, this could be a warning sign that events in the Sahel may eventually morph into something much more significant in Africa.

6 Jun 22