The United States government has had an uncontested position of world domination, a one world government under which it has subjected the planet to its dictates, since the end of the Cold War with the Soviet Union. This is now changing; recognizing this is the first step to creating a brighter future, but in order for things to get better, the politicians must wake up and smell the hot coffee.
At the end of the Second World War, the United States of America assumed the role of Great Britain and France, taking over as the dominant nation in what has come to be defined as “The West”. Despite entering into a near immediate competition for power with the Soviet Union, one that the US would triumph in, it was clear who was on top economically. Between 1945-2001, the US was involved in over 284 armed conflicts, spanning across 153 regions of the planet. Since then we have had the infamous conflicts in Iraq, Afghanistan, Libya, Syria, Yemen, and the list goes on and on. Even though the United States and the collective West place the blame solely on Russia, even the war in Ukraine can be argued to be a US war that was set up to happen with the Maidan Coup of 2014.
In multiple spheres of power, it is becoming evident that an alternative to US power is being forged. The US dollar is rapidly being dropped as the reserve currency, historically friendly nations like Saudi Arabia are now turning a cold shoulder, alternative trade routes are being forged, and the West’s ability to crush its enemies economically and militarily has become a thing of the past.
The People Of The Western Empire And Why We Matter More Than Our Rulers
While the people living in the United States, European Union, and United Kingdom, were sold the lie that they lived in what would become known as the “free world”, for some time the relative level of economic comfort in these places kept the people placid. It indicated to the majority populations in these countries that they were not only the most free, but that they were ideologically, culturally, and socially superior to their “Eastern” counterparts. This economic might, harnessed by those living in the collective West, led to poorer countries hosting citizens of Western nations and putting up with anti-social behavior and abuse, due to the wealth that was brought in with such tourism. It meant for poorer nations, which would become popular holiday destinations, that they would absorb the impact of privileged populations who refused to learn their languages, respect their traditions and often physically trash their streets. Despite the changing economic conditions, this still persists today.
The holiday experiences enjoyed by Western citizens abroad is often overlooked as to how this factors into a mindset of superiority. Although by no means does this imply that all Western citizens have engaged in the above behavior (which includes substance abuse, the rampant use of prostitution, and the destruction of property) but the very acceptability of such behavior overseas has factored into an overall mindset of superiority. For an example, various destinations in Thailand and Indonesia have for decades been sex and party holiday destinations for many Australians, who had the opportunity to go to such countries and live like kings whilst remaining there.
The behavior of many Brits, Australians, and others, on holiday’s abroad, replicate the power position that is enjoyed by their armed forces overseas. At this current time, many Filipinos oppose the increased military cooperation with US forces, due to a history of violent activities practiced by Western troops on their soil. For instance, between 1981-1988, two major military bases belonging to the US were present on Filipino soil, near Manilla, during which time there were around 100 cases of sexual abuse against local women, for which the soldiers were never held accountable. Locals also recall the trashing of their streets by off-duty soldiers, who would reportedly have a high demand for prostitutes and drugs.
Why is this important and how does this have any link to foreign policy you may ask? When it is culturally and socially acceptable for a richer populace to enter into the sovereign territory of another much poorer population, behaving so disrespectfully — due to their wealth — it breeds a mentality that becomes deep-seated back home without much thought being put into it. When you see English speaking people travel to countries around the world, the expectation is that the local populations learn their language to accommodate, while if foreigners tried this in the West it would be completely unacceptable. Then, we have the rhetoric of the “free world” that is spread by leaders throughout the West, with the US President dubbed the “leader of the free world”. Platitudes about freedom, democracy, and a “rules based international order” are also frequently used by political representatives in a way that goes unchallenged.
In 2022, this same superiority complex manifested itself during the FIFA World Cup that was hosted in Doha, Qatar, with Western governments and TV stations lambasting the Arab Gulf nation over its stance on LGBT rights. Politicians and public personalities who espouse the rhetoric of “inclusion and diversity” were celebrated for their arrogant, hypocritical, stances and condemnations of the Qatari government. This comes from a place of belief that Western values are superior to their Eastern neighbors, with the belief that in order for people overseas to be “civilized like us,” they must adhere to our way of life. Similarly, Colonial Feminism is used to justify military actions and sanctions that end up targeting some of the most vulnerable populations abroad by Western regimes. The reason that this is so wrong, is not only in its lack of sincerity, but in its designed impact on the collective beliefs of Westerners in general. When it is mentioned that the US government has committed some of the most egregious war crimes imaginable, this often will not affect people who somewhat justify these actions in their minds, due to the deep-seated concepts of superiority imbedded in their subconscious, allowing for a dehumanization of “the other” and hence such hypocritical stances as standing for “equality”, “democracy” and “human rights”, while remaining silent on the violation of these principles simultaneously overseas.
Since September 11, until recently, the specific fixation of Western media — whether affiliated with the so-called Left or Right — on dehumanizing Muslims and Arabs, has now been superseded by a hatred of Russians. Although not all will openly claim that Russians are culturally and ethnically inferior, the banning of Russian individuals who have nothing to do with their country’s leadership and military goes to show that there hasn’t been much of a change since the early 2000’s in the tactics used to go after an enemy, and more specifically, its people.
At this time, the populations that live inside Western nations are experiencing economic and social crises that have not reared their heads for generations. Although politically the people are distracted with the ongoing culture war, which is funded by billionaires who seek to control both sides of the social aisle, the reality of the rise in the cost of living is slowly setting in. People in the West, however, are largely struck with confusion about the sudden deterioration in their living conditions, blindly believing that it will simply get better, a belief that is rooted in fantasy. Soon, with the lack of any ability for the younger generations to own their own properties and the deterioration in the spending power they have, nations around the world that have tolerated the West for so long due to its immense wealth, will begin to fight back.
An example of where Western people no longer have the ability to behave poorly, is China, where once holiday goers and immigrants would receive special treatment based upon the belief that they were rich. If today one visits a city like Shanghai and believes they can behave as if they are in Phuket, Thailand, they will be in for a reality check. As the money dries up, so does the special treatment and the illusion of cultural superiority. Beijing has not only lifted hundreds of millions of its people out of poverty, but has also created the largest class of new billionaires and millionaires, making it no wonder that there is no longer a tolerance of poor behavior from Westerners in the country.
The above mentioned points are not designed to attack Western people in general, but are an honest take on how we got to where we are and why a Western superiority complex continues to protrude, seemingly circumventing the grassroots formations needed on a mass scale to change our current failing system. It is also important to note that this very mindset of superiority has been cultivated by those in power for the very purpose of manipulating the US population. The Middle Class is being obliterated, the working class is getting poorer, the power of the minority of the mega-rich is monopolizing, and the World Economic Forum (WEF) now suggests that, through acting on the ideology of Stakeholder Capitalism, that the corporations should openly dictate the social climates in which we live — taking over from government completely. While China is controlled by its Communist Party, which dictates how its own Capitalist industry behaves, in the West it is the Crony Capitalist industry that dictates how the government behaves.
As China rises, it provides an alternative path for nations around the world. The BRICS alliance is only one of these alternatives and it is working because the path of following the West is one of complete subservience, something that foreign powers have been subjected to for years, but not due to their belief in US government espoused ideals, instead they have played ball out of fear of economic decimation. In the West, as the working class feels the crunch and young people come to the realisation that their ability to pave a way towards a stable future is non-existent in many cases, there comes the ability for real social mobilization and change.
In the West, we live in the heart of an empire, one that has committed more immoral actions than can be counted and when the majority of people could lead stable lives, these sins could be ignored. However, as the agenda turns on those at home, it is now on the people who live in the West to wake up, for their own sake. It will take a lot of work to dispel the superiority complex we have here, in fact we can see from the reaction of the decision makers in Washington, to their recent losses to China in the Middle East, that they too are not capable of accepting reality, but when we reach this understanding and ideologically reconcile how we got to where we are, change is possible. Wealth and power has not only blinded our leaderships, but it also put most of the general public to sleep as well. It is the consent of the masses that allows for tyranny to triumph.
We were so comfortable for so long that we forgot why we even have the concept of democracy. In order for a democracy to actually live up to its description, the people must participate en-masse, there must be organizing, and power placed in the hands of the many — the very concept was created for this purpose. However, democracy has come to mean casting a vote for one of two elitists who never follow through with the demands of the people, in fact, it is often the two main parties that set their own demands for us. The people have not set up their own red-lines and have become ineffective, as social organizing has become scarce. Now is the time to educate and organize for those who are in such a position, while those who don’t have that privilege must simply involve themselves.