John McLaughlin, former CIA senior executive, sums up the issues nicely here: we are seeing major challenges to the post-WWII "rules-based" international system. Russia, by ignoring the sanctity of national frontiers, China, by ignoring freedom of the seas in the South China Sea, and ISIS by overthrowing the nation-state in the Middle East. See his: Breaking the Geopolitical Rules
My friend Sean "The Modern Mercenary" McFate likes to point out the Westphalian system of the supremacy of the nation state is being eclipsed by "neo-medievalism." I agree ISIS suggests that other forces than the state are throwing their weight around. But in the case of Russia and China, the nation-state is roaring back. The problem is to corral them back into a rules-based system.
We might add that it is Russia that seems to be doing more to bolster the nation-state concept in the Middle East than the US is.
No comments:
Post a Comment