Since antiquity, people of the Stone Age considered the sphere to be the most perfect shape in existence. Thousands of years later, at the end of the Dark Ages, science and astronomy had so advanced, people understood that the moon, the earth, the sun, the stars and the wanderers (planets) were spheres, and this confirmed to them that the sphere was indeed the most perfect shape in existence.
Officially, there was no
runner-up to the sphere but when the wheel was invented, it certainly qualified
to be second to the sphere in the beauty contest of attractive shapes. After
all, the wheel contributed so much to the advancement of science and
technology, we could not have a ball today were it not for the cars having
wheels to move us around at a faster speed than the horse.
But to the people of Holland
in Europe, the shape of the wheel pointed to something else. Made of wheat and
sugar, it was something yummy to have for breakfast, and for snacks throughout
the day by those who did not worry about their weight. We're talking about the
donut. As it happens, donuts come in different shapes, but the one that takes
the prize is the wheel-shaped donut with a whole in the middle.
But let's not get carried away
talking about the qualities of the donut. In fact, an edible donut with a hole
in the middle may be something tasty that pleases the palate, but the shape is
not appreciated when it is duplicated in other places. For example, there was a
time when a debate erupted about a health insurance plan that looked like a
donut with a hole in the middle, and some people did not like it. Something
similar is beginning to shape today, and the guess is that some people will not
like it when a full debate will have become the order of the day.
You can see what that is when
you read the article that came under the title: “To Balance China, Joe Biden
Should Build Upon Trump's India Strategy,” written by Patrick Mendis and
Antonina Luszczykiewicz, and published on December 27, 2020 in The National
Interest.
As suggested by the title, the
debate just started concerns America's relationship with at least two Asian
nations: China and India. The point the authors of the article are making, is
that China has become a belligerent country, threatening not only America but
the Southeast Asian countries as well. The writers inform the readers that
while aware of this reality, a number of Asian countries and the United States
have come together to stand up to the illegitimate aspiration that China has
with regard to the region.
Patrick Mendis and Antonina
Luszczykiewicz point to the fact that in addition to that burgeoning
multilateral relationship, America is deepening its bilateral relationship with
India to unprecedented levels. They welcome the move, and offer an idea as to
what else can be done in this area of foreign policy. Simply put, they say that
America should play India against China, thus contain China's expansion and
check what it tries to accomplish. And this is where you see the hole of doom
in the donut of tasteless foreign policy.
Look how Mendis and
Luszczykiewicz began discussing that last point: “With its new US military
alliance, India has finally removed the mask of 'non-aligned' foreign policy which
it has nominally employed since independence in 1947.” To utter these words
with such assertiveness indicates that the writers have no idea what enormous
mistake they just committed. What they and America need to know is the
following:
When during the Cold War,
there were two superpowers: The United States and the Soviet Union, each worked
to attract as many nations to their side as possible. They were to be allies,
but also subordinate satellites orbiting one or the other dominant power. A
number of nations, including India, said they were too proud to go into
someone's orbit, thus formed the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM,) guaranteeing to
themselves the freedom to act in the best interest of their people without
someone pulling their strings. Note that this happened at a time when India and
its friends in the Movement were backward Third World Nations.
Today, India views itself as a
superpower that may or may not welcome satellites in orbit around it. But to
speak of it as a subordinate that'll be happy to enter into orbit around
America, is to be blind to the progress that India has accomplished so far.
Worse, it is to insult its current status as a superpower in waiting, one that
will soon stand shoulder to shoulder with China, and be ahead of the United
States, Russia, Japan and everyone else. If anything, it will be the United
States that will petition to go into orbit around India.
But that game will cease to be
played in the future because a worldwide new regime will replace it. You can
see the new order take shape right now as Asia and Africa are coming together
with Europe to make it happen. You can also see it progress with China and
Russia coming together to protect it from America's declared intention to
disrupt it.
Sooner or later, the world will
cease to look like a schoolyard with adolescent boys competing for the title of
most disruptive bully.
The world will mature, and will be governed like a well-run corporation with 200 or so independent divisions working in harmony with each other in the service of all humankind.