Moving away from conflict

The possibility of a Sino-Russian military alliance seems to be haunting the West; Western thinkers and policymakers have been expressing their fears about such an alliance citing Russian President Vladimir Putin's comment in October about the possibility of such an alliance. Although the Russian president did not specifically talk about this military alliance, Western circles are interpreting it as a sign that Moscow is really interested in forging such an alliance.

At a meeting of the Valdai Discussion Club several weeks before the US presidential election, Putin was asked whether it was possible to conceive of a military alliance between China and Russia. He replied: “It is possible to imagine anything.… We have not set that goal for ourselves. But, in principle, we are not going to rule it out, either.” The club is a Russian think tank that has been telling the world about the giant country besides offering qualified and objective assessment of global political and economic issues. It also seeks to promote dialogue among the global intellectual elite in order to find solutions to the crises of the international system.

Russia and the West have been at odds several times in their history. First it was Napoleon who invaded Russian territory, playing havoc with the lives of Russians and then during World War II it was Hitler who turned against Soviet Russia. The country valiantly fought the fascist leader, offering tremendous sacrifices. More than 27 million Russian perished in the struggle to liberate their motherland from the clutches of Nazi occupying forces, setting the stage for their defeat as well.

Given this history of aggression, Moscow has always been wary of Western intentions. The West also has its own apprehensions about Russian designs. Moscow had been expansionist before the communist revolution of 1917 and after this radical change the country decided to export its revolutionary ideology across the world – leading to anxiety among European leaders, especially the ones in the western part of the continent. The Soviet forces not only defeated Hitler during World War II, they also marched towards European entities, bringing the states of Central and Eastern Europe under communist rule.

The West feared that this global ideology with totalitarian trends would wipe out their democratic ideals, liberalism and the free market economy, prompting it to ally with the US in a bid to counter the rising power of Moscow. This was one of the contributing factors leading to the formation of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (Nato). One of the aims of this military alliance was to fight the communist threat. The communist countries came up with their own version of military alliance called the Warsaw Pact. With the demise of the USSR, the Warsaw Pact was consigned to the dustbin of history but Nato remained intact, emerging as the biggest war machine on the earth, wreaking havoc with the lives of people around the world by collaborating with Washington.

The West held out verbal assurances to former Russian president Mikhail Gorbachev that Nato would not be expanded but soon after the dismantling of the Soviet socialist bloc, the Western military alliance started spreading its tentacles into the Russian backyard, alluring many former Soviet states into joining an alliance that used to be not only a sworn enemy of Russia but these newly independent states as well. Moscow could not pay any attention to such expansion in the 1990s as it was grappling with the calamitous situation that had arisen in the aftermath of the demise. The first Iraq war was a clear message to Moscow that it did not matter in international affairs. The treatment of Yugoslavia at the hand of Western powers also hurt Russian prestige.

American unilateralism, the rising assertiveness of the West and the encirclement of Russia during the 1990s and beyond through various colour revolutions prompted Moscow to be irredentist. Putin rode on a wave of popularity, promising to restore the prestige of the former superpower. He not only strengthened the Russian economy but also turned the giant country into an invincible military force by making huge investments into Russian defence. The intervention of Moscow in Syria and annexation of Crimea was a clear message to the West that Moscow would no longer countenance Western unilateralism.

This forced the West to slap Moscow with a number of sanctions, prompting it to hobnob with China which has pumped more than $400 billion into the former communist country. The two veto powers have also taken a united stance on a number of global issues, creating an impression that the two are united in dealing with Western hegemony. Such fraternization between the two giant powers has already prompted think tanks in Washington to view Moscow and Beijing as a security threat. European countries are also wary of Russian assertiveness and have deployed missiles to counter what they believe are Russian expansionist designs.

But such a possible show of military might or any military alliance would lead to more tension. The world is going through one of its worst crises. The coronavirus pandemic has been ravaging country after country. Millions of people have been infected with the deadly virus. Workers all over the world have been rendered jobless because of the contagion. Instead of thinking of any military alliance, Russia and China should collaborate on issues that concern the daily concerns of humanity. The two countries had gotten a great chance to establish their moral superiority by coming up with a vaccine for Covid-19 but they missed their chance. The West is triumphant again, proving that it is not only superior in military might but in matters that are crucial for the vast majority of humankind.

It is time Russia and China started making efforts to divert the world from the militarism that has been thwarting the development of humankind. If the two countries really want to counter the West, they should come up with solutions for the various conflicts that are raging across the globe. They should assure the vast majority of humanity that they will work for progress. Their attention should be focused on the more than two billion souls that live on less than two dollars a day – or even less than this. Their efforts should be aimed at eradicating poverty, hunger and homeless.

Avoiding military alliances could be one of the ways to address these crucial issues because such tensions and conflicts take away vital resources that could be employed to serve humanity. Therefore, it is important that Moscow and Beijing launch a new campaign to rid the world of conflict, war, civil strife and a possible nuclear disaster. Only such efforts would make them true global powers.

The writer is a freelance journalist.

Email: egalitarianism444@ gmail.com