Al-Aharam, Egypt, February 19
For well over a decade, Americans have been talking about the need to take care of the so-called “Asian challenge.” This challenge is twofold: first, the economic advancement of India and China and its rivalry with the United States and, second, the strategic transformation that the Chinese have been making for two decades, independently of the United States, and what it means in the global arena. In the recent military confrontation between India and Pakistan, the Americans found themselves siding with the Indians, while the Pakistanis found themselves closer to China. US diplomats and military officials have regretted their relationship with Pakistan, given the latter’s lack of cooperation in the global war on terror and the shelter it gave to many Al-Qai’da militants. However, changing geopolitical interests in the region are now pushing America back towards Pakistan. There is the new American perception that Pakistan is an integral – indeed, a crucial – component of the global competition between the US and China. However, Trump has already made clear his plan to disengage from the Middle East. The question, therefore, is this: is there an inherent contradiction between America being in the Middle East and America being in Far East at the same time? The answer is of course not. But the American presence in both arenas introduces new rivalries to the region, not only in military strength but also in economic power. Washington will have to prove itself as a reliable ally. This is becoming increasingly difficult for Washington to do, as more countries around the world begin questioning America’s resolve. The Americans continue to abide by the idea of US hegemony and exceptionalism, but a growing number of US are questioning this narrative. Put another way: Americans insist that nothing has changed and that they are still the strongest in the world, while its opponents, and even some of it allies, insist that American economic superiority after is no longer guaranteed and that its military superiority is simply not enough to promote US interests on the ground. –Khalil al-Anani