Social integration and expansion in anarchistic systems
(Source)
The period 1495-1945 was a distinct period in the development of the System; in a long-term process of social integration and expansion that is still unfolding.
During this period a powerful-become-more powerful self-reinforcing mechanism shaped successive international orders and the System.
“China’s nationalist Global Times newspaper ran a cartoon captioned “Bully pulpit” showing Trump holding a megaphone, shouting “America First,” while the state-owned China Daily newspaper said Trump’s speech was “full of sound and fury.” (Source: Washington Post)
Imposing ‘America first’ and motivating other nations to also focus on their own ‘sovereignty’ – as president Trump did during his address to the United Nations, yesterday – will further undermine the already fragile United Nations, the current international order.
It is a matter of time, before an international order in an anarchistic system becomes unstable and privileged states – like the United States in the current order – are challenged. International orders – including the United Nations – have a limited lifespan, because of their ‘built-in’ inability to change.
The United Nations can be considered the organisational ‘set-up’ of our current international order.
In a series of articles, I discuss the United Nations: Its purposes, the establishment of the United Nations and the process of social integration and expansion that preceded it, the urgent need for fundamental reform of the United Nations, and how this reform could be accomplished.
I will also explain that superficial reforms of the United Nations – which do not address the fundamental unbalance in the System – will cause a systemic crisis, as happened two times during the 20th Century.
Such a systemic crisis will cause a situation the United Nations is – according to its own purposes – supposed to prevent.
In the second article, I discuss how – and why – international orders are established, and what purposes they fulfil from a system’s perspective.
“Cho Tae-yul, the South Korean ambassador, and Ambassador Nikki Haley of the United States during a meeting of the United Nations Security Council on Monday to discuss North Korea’s nuclear tests. “The time has come for us to exhaust all of our diplomatic means before it’s too late,” Ms. Haley said” (source). But who is actually begging for war?
According to the US, North-Korea is “begging for war“. It is however a matter of perspective: The US – it can be argued – is begging for much more war, and not only in North Korea.
Another successful provocation – ‘trap’ – of North Korea for the United States.
The leadership of North Korea – Kim Jung Un – must walk a fine line to ensure its survival in the face of two existential threats: The continuous aggression of the United States and its allies, and the risk of social unrest and collapse in North Korea.
The last round of mutual threats and provocations, was a resounding success for Kim Jung Un – at least for now – who confirmed its hero-status at home, while the United States and its allies are still confronted with North Korea’s growing military capabilities.
President Trump considers Hollywood’s version of the United States’ self-image to be reality. But even John Wayne knows better.
This week, through several statements, president Trump of the United States took friend and foe (again) by surprise. Led by his ‘gut feeling’ and a rather limited perspective on international politics and human relations, Trump issued a number of far-stretching warnings to North-Korea, and Venezuela, related to North-Korea’s provocations and Venezuela’s internal political struggles.
Front cover of the Clingendael Monitor 2017
In two preceding articles, I discussed the ‘Clingendael Strategic Monitor 2017’ with the title “Multi-Order”. This is the third and last article in this series. Contrary to what the Clingendael Institute and the ‘Monitor’ observe, I argue that the current international order is crumbling; its collapse is a matter of time.
