The USA is still living in it’s make believe world (and is not realizing the gravity of the formidable challenge being posed by authoritarian Chinese democracy to the liberal Western democracy led by the USA) which is evident from ‘Interim National Security Strategic Guidance’ (INSSG) released by Biden-administration on Wednesday (as given at https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/NSC-1v2.pdf ).
The confusion of Biden-administration (like earlier US-administration’s) is due to lack of understanding of the challenge of Chinese democracy to Western democracy which is reflected in INSSG where it is (merely rhetorically) mentioned that – “[I firmly believe that democracy holds the key to freedom, prosperity, peace, and dignity. We must now demonstrate — with a clarity that dispels any doubt — that democracy can still deliver for our people and for people around the world. We must prove that our model isn’t a relic of history; it’s the single best way to realize the promise of our future. And, if we work together with our democratic partners, with strength and confidence, we will meet every challenge and outpace every challenger]”.
Evidently like earlier US-administrations, the Biden-administration also naively thinks that –
(i)- The rhetoric is an alternative to real politics and without rule-of-law (national & international) and without making a global political institution (the UN on the soil of the USA) relevant to the contemporary globalized world, the USA can achieve the said objectives mentioned in INSSG (namely the victory of liberal Western democracy over authoritarian Chinese democracy)
(ii)- The liberal Western democracy led by the USA will ultimately win against authoritarian Chinese democracy even if USA keeps on neglecting the issue of economic progress & peace in developing world (which constitute the majority of the mankind) which is increasingly getting attracted towards Chinese democracy (because despite being an Asian country China has achieved unprecedented economic progress) moreover where China is succeeding in bringing peace to Asia starting from nuclear Indo-Pak [where China (despite QUAD etc) first succeeded in Eastern Ladakh in militarily humbling India because India pulled out (without getting any concession from China in Depsang etc) from areas between finger 3 & 4 of Pangong lake and Kailash range which were before April 2020 were under exclusive possession of India] and then despite this military humiliation of India China has succeeded in constraining both India and Pakistan to agree on February 25, 2021 to strictly observe a ceasefire at the de facto border (LoC) between the two countries in the disputed region of Kashmir.
Therefore without going into the details of mistakes the USA has committed during existence of the UN on its soil, if Biden-administration really wants the liberal Western democracy to succeed against authoritarian Chinese democracy then it should do the following without further delay:-
(1)- First and foremost the USA should realize the importance of the region of mini-SAARC (India, Bangladesh, Pakistan and Afghanistan) for the success of liberal Western democracy in the entire world for the simple reason that it not only has two hostile nuclear countries (Indo-Pak) in it but has about 1850 million people in it including about 700 million Muslims which will go a long way in bringing peace to Muslim NAME region which is weeping & bleeding profusely for many decades.
(2)- Equally important is the need for the USA to acknowledge it’s moral & legal responsibility about the moral & legal fraud of the partition of India & Pakistan where (i)- about 1 million people were killed and about 15 million were displaced in most gory situation though there was no provision of population transfer in ‘Indian Independence Act 1947’. This illegal population transfer has communally poisoned the entire Indian subcontinent even to this day and is the biggest hurdle in the path of peace & prosperity of this region (ii)- The princely States acceded to either India or Pakistan but due to controversy about Junagarh & Hyderabad the principle of the wishes of the people (plebiscite) was followed. But despite provision of plebiscite in ‘Instrument of Accession’ (IoA) of J&K to India this plebiscite has not been carried out by India in united-J&K and IoA of Balochistan was procured by Pakistan under military pressure ( ii)- This fraud happened about undivided India which was member of the UN before its independence hence was the responsibility of the sponsor of the UN which was established at US soil after dissolving ‘League of Nations’ from the soil of Europe
(3)- This illegal population transfer and its explosive ramifications in the form of absurd legislation by India (namely ‘Citizen Amendment Act and threatened ‘National Register for Citizenship’) can be seen even in the States of West Bengal & Assam where elections for its Legislative Assemblies are in progress and where the US Ambassador to India and US consulate in Kolkata must have informed the Biden-administration that how Hindu-Muslim communal issue (also due to Bangladeshi illegal immigrants in India) and communal polarization are the main factors in framing the political narrative in the election of these States.
(4)- Therefor recognizing its moral & legal responsibilities (about the derelictions of the UN regarding said fraud of the partition of India & Pakistan), now the USA should work for the unification of India, Pakistan and Bangladesh in the form of ‘Federal, Secular, Democratic mini-SAARC’ in which Afghanistan can also be added (which will provide relief to the USA too, which is in Afghanistan since 9/11 in addition to immense benefit to Afghanistan as it will get access to sea).
(5)- This mini-SAARC can easily be achieved by the USA by pressing for plebiscite in united-J&K and Balochistan and by granting dual citizenship to about 160 million Hindus and Muslims of India, Pakistan and Bangladesh (the descendants of the displaced people of the partition).
(6)- This mini-SAARC will be useful in bringing peace to NAME region by providing personnel to ‘UN Peace-keeping Force’ and UN Election Commission’ for carrying out elections in troubled countries of the NAME (including Syria, Yemen) under secular constitution. But the USA will achieve nothing in NAME region unless one State solution is adopted for Israel-Palestine because the USA can’t expect any peace between Jews & Muslims if most of the Muslims (the Palestinians) are forced out from their native land.
(7)- For realizing the said mini-SAARC the USA should give up its absurd liking (rather adamancy) for exclusive private capitalism and should insist (also by invoking ‘UN Convention against Corruption’) that India should recover about Rs 1,000 Trillion (~ $ 13.5 Trillions in exchange rate terms and ~ $ 47 Trillion in PPP terms) Income Tax from about 1 million fake farmers as was discussed in Indian Parliament too in 2016 (as reported at https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/business/india-business/Prominent-people-hiding-taxable-income-Jaitley/articleshow/51408323.cms ) . This huge State-capital will go a long way not only in resolving farmers agitation presently going-on in India (which is a matter of concern for two thirds of India which is fully or partly dependent on agriculture income) but also in bringing unprecedented prosperity to the entire said mini-SAARC region and that will be the real cause of the victory of liberal Western democracy against authoritarian Chinese democracy.
(8)- For keeping China silent during the transition of Indian subcontinent to mini-SAARC, the USA should ask India to get border dispute with China settled through ‘UN Judicial Commission’ because dispute with China (unlike dispute with Pakistan, which is political) is legal and which China can’t refuse being a permanent member of the UN.
(9)- It is time the US-administration starts taking the interests of its people seriously because the Biden-administration will not be able to win the war of Western democracy v/s Chinese democracy unless the people of the USA developed an interest in this war and for this to happen the USA should :-
(i)- Ask the UN to constitute a Commission to investigate whether China was responsible (by its acts of commission or omission regarding the spread of Coronavirus which is responsible for the death of 524 thousands in the USA). In future also it may happen if culprits are not brought to book. If China obstructs, by veto power, such UN-Commission for investigation then the USA should dissolve the present UN and constitute another world body and ask China (and its supporters if any on this issue) to go away from New York (the seat of the UN). In the security council of this new UN there should not be any veto power to any member rather voting rights should be to every member commensurate with its contribution of men (including martial) , material (including military) and money and its record about human rights. Moreover in the new UN the optional protocol OP-1 of ICCPR should be converted into mandatory protocol MP-1 where new UN can intervene even militarily in erring member countries in cases of serious violations of human rights in erring countries.
(ii)- Ensure religious freedom where people can convert to other religions including to US-Christianity in mini-SAARC, NAME region etc
(iii)- Ensure reservation for about 10 % of employees from US-citizens in US-companies in foreign countries which will solve the problem of unemployment in the USA commensurate with the ‘American value of mobility’.
(iv)- Tens of millions of illegal immigrants are not only snatching the jobs of legal residents of the USA but have also made a mockery of rule-of-law in the USA and even the present situation is denying the human rights of these illegal immigrants. Hence the USA should identify, and then track these illegal immigrants and then demand their deportation from their native countries under military pressure and if they refuse then demand at least exclusive mineral rights (if not territory) from such countries and then give legal status to these illegal immigrants after imposing reasonable fine on them.
(v)- The USA should observe fiscal discipline (and should enforce it all across the world) by ensuring that public debts never go beyond the security of the consolidated funds of the governments. Moreover nothing has disturbed the financial discipline of the world than the Banking sector in most of the countries (also by writing off the NPAS) including in the USA (where during the 2007-08 economic crisis in the USA the bailouts were given to Banks). Hence the fixed deposits of the bank should be converted into ‘Bank Shares’ and their holders (like equity holders of limited companies) should be expected to take the risk (profit / interest or loss) of the Bank loans.
(10)- The USA should stop giving sermons on denuclearization while assuming that UN permanent members, Israel, India, Pakistan have some divine right to have nukes. Hence instead of harassing Iran etc in the name of denuclearization the USA should work for elimination of nuclear WMDs all across the world in a time bound period.
It is hoped that the Biden-administration will stop indulging in traditional hollow rhetoric of the White House and instead will take the above mentioned steps and measures in order to ensure the victory in the global war of the liberal Western democracy against authoritarian Chinese democracy.
Regards
Hem Raj Jain
(Author of ‘Betrayal of Americanism’)
Shakopee, MN, USA
(Courtsey : Times of India)
