AS THE WINDS OF CHANGE continue to sweep through the Middle East and the Horn of Africa, it seems that no state in the region is immune. There is also a sense the foundation for a new world order is being laid.
Firstly, the United Nations special coordinator’s report last week has given some expectation that the West Bank will declare itself an independent state at the opening session of the General Assembly in September.
Though it is likely the Palestinian state will be recognized by many members of the UN, it would merely be a symbolic act that would do nothing to reduce the “oppressive weight” of the illegal occupation. Israel is bracing itself for some rough weather ahead.
Secondly, when the 15-nation UN Security Council voted 10-0 in March to authorize the no-fly zone over Libya, emerging power bloc BRIC (Brazil, Russia, India and China), along with Germany, abstained.
A month later, the West-led coalition that supported the resolution struggles to justify its decision and is far from achieving consensus on how to end the crisis. As a matter of fact, the lack of consensus has led to a potential quagmire there.
Though BRIC’s decision to abstain has not helped to resolve the crisis, it made a huge statement that could help the economic bloc consolidate its political agenda and offer a formidable alternative in global politics.
With an eye on Libya, the Third BRIC Summit, which ended in China last week, called for a greater say on the UN Security Council. Demanding that the system be more representative and effective, Brazil’s President Dilma Rousseff bemoaned its attachment to “institutional arrangements that were built in the post-war period”.
Currently, only China and Russia from the group are permanent members.
As a coincidence, however, Brazil and India are non-permanent members for two years, which explains their recent voting pattern and consolidated voice at the UN.
With the Libyan crisis escalating beyond initial expectations, the United States, Britain and France are considering looking beyond UN Resolution 1973, which only authorizes action to protect civilians.
With more Western military action likely, the war of ideas with the BRIC countries is likely to intensify.
With the declining influence of the dormant Non-Aligned Movement and other such global forums, it is important for like-minded countries to evolve a viable substitute that makes international politics truly democratic, thereby reflecting the shift in the global economic balance of power.
The expansion of the G-8 into a more realistic and representative G-20 is a welcome step. It is also heartening to note that some countries affiliated to the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation have also evinced interest in evolving alternative global forums.
As the BRIC countries reinforce their increasing global leverage against the reigning world order, all countries should internalize the fact that over time “the old order gives way to the new”.
