Multipolar and Dangerous

Published in La Vanguardia
(Spain) on 15 October 2023
by Jordi Juan Raja (link to originallink to original)
Translated from by Patricia Simoni. Edited by Michelle Bisson.
A question to ask today is whether the world was safer a few dozen years ago when it was dominated by the two great superpowers, the United States and the Soviet Union, which watched each other closely but avoided direct conflict.

That stage of the Cold War wound up favoring the U.S., which became the first great power after the fall of the Berlin Wall and the dissolution of the Soviet Union. Since then, that world — once divided into two large blocks — has been transformed into a multipolar world with new phenomena, such as the growth and rise of China as a great power and the increasing influence of the Arab economies of the Persian Gulf.

At the same time, the United States has lost power, a truth best exemplified by its shameful exit from Afghanistan, planned by Donald Trump and executed under Joe Biden.

The lacerating conflict in Ukraine, now having lasted for 20 months, and the war recently started by Israel in Gaza after the Hamas terrorist attacks leave the world in a situation of great instability.

The U.N., established to avoid these global conflicts, is not there nor is its arrival expected; its decision-making capacity is more than limited. Condemnations by this body no longer arouse even the slightest interest. Its power of influence to contain or stop a war is nonexistent. When an expected conflict fails to start in the Sahel, an old one — as in Nagorno-Karabakh —intensifies. And everyone holds their breath about the future of Taiwan given the foreseeable invasion of China.

Nevertheless, the United States continues to be the leading power and is an active player in the Ukraine and Israel conflicts. It is helping Ukraine with weapons and will continue to do so in Israel.

But the threat of Trump's return to the presidency in November 2024 is no illusion. His potential presence would contribute to and cause even more disorder on the planet. It is clear that we are moving toward a multipolar world with greater latent danger.


Una pregunta que cabe hacerse hoy es si el mundo era más seguro hace unas decenas de años cuando estaba dominado por las dos grandes superpotencias, Estados Unidos y la Unión Soviética, que se marcaban estrechamente, pero evitaban el conflicto directo.

Aquella etapa de guerra fría terminó decantándose hacia el lado de EE.UU., que se convirtió en la primera gran potencia tras la caída del muro de Berlín y la descomposición de la URSS. Desde entonces, aquel mundo dividido en dos grandes bloques se ha transformado en un orbe multipolar en el que se han producido nuevos fenómenos, como el crecimiento y apogeo de China como gran potencia y la cada vez mayor influencia de las economías árabes del golfo Pérsico. Al mismo tiempo, Estados Unidos ha perdido poder, y la mejor imagen de ello fue su vergonzosa salida en tromba de Afganistán, preparada bajo el mandato de Donald Trump y ejecutada bajo el de Joe Biden.

El conflicto lacerante en Ucrania, que dura ya 20 meses, y la guerra recién iniciada por Israel en Gaza tras los atentados terroristas de Hamas dejan al mundo en una situación de gran inestabilidad.

La ONU, nacida para evitar estos conflictos mundiales, ni está ni se la espera, ya que su capacidad de decisión está más que limitada. Incluso las condenas de este organismo no despiertan ya el más mínimo interés. Su poder de influencia para contener o frenar una guerra es inexistente. Cuando no aparece un conflicto inesperado en el Sahel, se recrudece otro antiguo como el de Nagorno-Karabaj. Y todo el mundo contiene el aliento sobre el futuro de Taiwán por la previsible invasión de China.

Con todo, Estados Unidos sigue siendo la primera potencia y está actuando de forma activa en los dos conflictos anteriormente citados: está ayudando con armamento a Ucrania y va a hacerlo de forma persistente a Israel. Pero la amenaza de la vuelta de Donald Trump a la presidencia norteamericana en noviembre del próximo año no es ninguna entelequia y su posible presencia contribuirá a provocar aún más desorden en el planeta. Está claro que avanzamos hacia un mundo multipolar y con muchos más peligros latentes.
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