The Ukrainian crisis has made the world relive memories of
the cold war, with all the decisions, sanctions, and isolation it entailed.
It is interesting to see the position that some countries
are taking. While it is definitely clear that the US has succeeded in
reinforcing the Atlantic alliance narrative, with EU and NATO strong supporters
of its actions, some questions should still be raised regarding the position of
other countries supposed to be US’ strategic allies.
اضافة اعلان
This includes countries that have traditionally been
considered US allies, such as Jordan and the Gulf states, but also those that
have received US assistance for many years, such as Egypt and Pakistan.
None of these countries took a clear position in favor of
the US policy; some even refused to honor the US’ request increase the
production of oil, like the Gulf countries, or to issue a statement to condemn
Russia. Actually when, the UAE foreign minister visited Moscow, and others
found in an Arab delegation for mediation a chance to avoid taking a position.
Even at the UN General Assembly, 93 votes cast in favor of
suspending Russia from the Human Rights Council seat,24 voted against, and 58 abstained; among these
last were most Arab countries, including the Gulf nations.
These positions should be an eye opener. They should raise
questions like: why does the US fail to convince allies to take its side; do
these countries really have mutual interests with Russia or they believe that
siding with the US without gaining politically is a loss?
If America wishes to be actively present, it should consider changing the way it deals with all countries in the world, particularly its allies.
These countries may have decided that it was time to send a
clear message to the US that such alliance is not for granted and that the estrangement
during the different American administrations, especially during Barack Obama’s
time, damaged the ties between the US and many of its allies outside Europe.
The relationship with these allies will likely need extra
effort to rebuild trust, and there is a clear message that they should not be
taken for granted.
This is one of the challenges that President Joe Biden has
mentioned bluntly in his first foreign policy address when he vowed to repair
alliances through diplomacy and restore Washington’s leadership position on the
global stage, insisting that “America is back, diplomacy is back”.
He clearly diagnosed the mistakes in dealing with allies,
outlining his vision for addressing an array of global pressures, including
trade relations with China and tensions with Russia.
A serious challenge for Biden now may be to prove the
efficiency of his policy to work to rebuild alliances and engage actively with
countries in finding mutual interests and common ground of understanding,
especially that in his same speech he insisted that“ America cannot afford to be
absent any longer on the world stage”.
If America wishes to be actively present, it should consider
changing the way it deals with all countries in the world, particularly its
allies.
The writer is a Jordanian university professor and
geopolitical expert. He is a leading columnist in national, regional, and
international media, offers consultancies to think tanks and speaks at
international conferences on Middle East politics and developments.
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