Jakarta –
If only one could go back in time, then there was an opportunity to prevent the war between Russia And UkraineCan this momentum really be used by the United Nations (UN), or at least by European citizens, to prevent its leaders from being “involved”?
Even if time has turned back, it seems very unlikely that the war between Russia and Ukraine can be avoided. After the collapse of the Soviet Union, United States of America (USA) with its allies in Western Europe as its only military axis and a very strong economy, it cannot compete with it. Self-reliance, enduring as a superpower country, positions the United States as an uncontrolled superpower. Not even the UN has moved to say no to US interests.
The war has long been a genealogy of the United States government. Colonies in the United States arose after a long war with the Kingdom of Great Britain in the 18th century.Even after independence on July 4, 1776, the war in the United States is still history accompanying their country’s journey. Civil war in America, between the two north and south camps in 1861-1865. This war killed more than 620,000 US soldiers and burned areas in the southern United States. President Abraham Lincoln was also killed in this phase of the civil war.
The involvement of the United States in WWI and WWII, and being a war-winning force, has put the US military industry at the forefront and become a global business until now. Report published by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute / SIPRI (December 2021), of the 100 largest arms companies in the world, 41 of them in the United States. Sales of 41 arms companies in the United States during the pandemic, particularly in 2020, still grew by 1.9%, reaching 285 billion US dollars, equivalent to 4.275 trillion rupees.
To maintain their broad influence, the United States is actively involved in the overthrow of various governments in various post-WWII countries until now. Dov H Levin (2019) describes at least 81 covert and open American interference in elections in various countries from 1946 to 2000. More surprisingly, the United States deliberately launched various military operations to change governments in various countries.
Even during the pandemic, the military industry experienced growth, especially as the war between Russia and Ukraine dragged on. The International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) noted that the United States spent a defense budget of $ 738 billion in 2020, this budget far exceeds China’s defense budget of 193.3 billions of dollars. Of course, this drives a very large arms business on a global scale and is intertwined with other strategic sectors, such as oil, gas and minerals.
It is very reasonable, the war offers a great opportunity for the demand of the military industry, especially for the United States, as they maintain their global hegemony. There are many stories about how US military operations have created chaos in various countries. After the events of 9/11, Bush Junior implemented the war on terror doctrine and adopted a preemptive strike approach. This policy has led to the emergence of various US military operations, especially in Iraq, Libya, Afghanistan, Syria. The war left a dilemma for the United States, persisting for a long time entailed enormous costs and many of the victims of their soldiers left as if slapped in shame. But what is certain, the Gulf countries are now abandoning an endless civil war after the departure of US troops.
Currency and trade war
Not just conventional warfare through the mobilization of US government-run war equipment. In the era of President Trump, they were embroiled in a fierce trade war with China. Indeed, the US trade deficit with China has been ongoing for a long time. China is always a surplus.
But in the era of President Trump, China’s trade dominance over the United States sparked an ever tougher battle in 2019. Xi Jinping’s Chinese dream against Trump’s great American success has enveloped the two countries’ trade policies. It’s funny, the United States, which admired the magic of the market from the beginning, chose to implement a protectionist policy on goods imported from China and imposed a tax rate of 10 – 30 percent. The same retaliation was carried out by China on US products in its country with tariffs of 15 to 25 percent
This war has even embarrassed two countries by reducing commercial transactions. The shadow of the global economic recession has become a concern for many countries due to this trade war. As a result of the mutual sabotage, the Chinese market in the United States is occupied by Taiwan, Mexico, the European Union and Vietnam. Conversely, the US market in China has been replaced by Brazil.
Several central banks in developed countries have eased monetary policy by opting for a low (dovish) interest rate policy in order to maintain global consumption levels. However, the trade war involving the two giants only caused the global economy to grow by 2.3 percent in 2019, the lowest in a decade. Economic growth in China and the United States in 2019 also slowed. The GDP of the United States in 2019 grew by 2.3%, less than 2.9% in 2018. The same thing was experienced by China, although their economy grew by 6%, it was lower than 2018 which has recorded a growth of 6.7%.
Even as China dominates world trade and increasingly emphasizes the role of the Yuan as an alternative to international payments other than the US dollar, the dominance of the US dollar is still irreplaceable. The dollar for the United States is still an important force in their global power. We know that the US dollar became a global currency after the Bretton Woods agreement in 1944. The power of a war-winning country, so as to organize various international agreements to protect its interests, including its currency. Now, the world’s central banks hold up to 59 percent of US dollars as reserves, and up to 66 percent of world transactions use US dollars.
This position is very beneficial to the United States at this time when the Fed pursues a high interest rate policy. The US dollar has strengthened overall with a number of currencies that have been loyal to US allies such as the pound and the euro since the outbreak of the war between Russia and Ukraine. This situation has certainly backfired on the United States’ strongest ally in Europe. Amidst large US profits due to strengthening US dollar, rising demand for the arms business, and rising US strategic commodities, on the other hand, continental Europe has been hit by the supply threat. food and energy, high inflation, potential for widespread war and mobility destinations for refugees.
It is time for the United States to reflect on their unilateral actions and equitably propose international cooperation for the common good. He will be the laughing stock of the world if the superpower falls due to his own actions. It’s fun when giants lose a lot. The world will be more respectful and respectful if the United States makes a serious commitment to establishing that they are not part of the problem, but play an important role in solving the world’s problems.
(fas / fas)
