Whither Superpower?


Written by S.G. Jilanee • Cover Stories • March 2010

There was a time when the sun never set over the British Empire. Now, the Union Jack has been rolled back. In vain do its Blairs and Browns try to recapture the old glory, even by acting as America's poodles.

Now is the turn of the United States. As its neo-cons claim, it is the new American century. The title is prophetic, for, the old centuries saw America's rise to the very peak of power. This century marks the onset of its fall. Although it is still by far the world's preeminent military power, but a declining hegemonic power.

The process started on September 11, 2001 - when the new century was less than two years old. The supreme power on earth got the rudest shock of its life and the myth of its invulnerability was shattered by a handful of kamikaze attackers. The tall buildings of its Twin Towers that were the symbols of America's stature among the nations of the world and U.S. pride, kissed the dust. In fact, 9/11 showed that U.S. military power has severe limitations: for the first time in U.S. history, its airports had to be closed to all traffic in the aftermath of the attack.

Just to think of the event is eye-popping. The United States that strutted about the globe like a Godzilla, flexing its muscles, bullying, threatening and invading other countries, boasting a nuke arsenal that can destroy the planet many times over, insulated by oceans on two sides and allies on the other two, being "invaded!" How incredible, yet how true!
Two wars with hundreds of thousands dead and displaced have failed to bring to America the "glory" it had achieved in the Spanish-American War of 1898. That war, too, was as aggressive as the attack on Iraq. Yet, a look at their different ends brings out the difference. Then, America fought alone and wrested the Philippines from Spain.
In Iraq it went about the world begging for support and cobbled together a coalition of many countries, some of which contributed only a few troops. And after losing more than 4,000 of its troops, it has barely managed to extricate itself from there but with a bruised nose.

In Afghanistan, as well, it has the backing of as many as forty-two nations. Many others such as India, Pakistan and some Central Asian states are also contributing their mite in the war effort. Even Russia has put behind what America did to it in Afghanistan; instead of enjoying a few chuckles at its predicament, Russia provides transit facility for US supplies to the war theatre.

The war in Afghanistan has entered its ninth year. It is catching up with the Soviet Union's record of 10 years. And, as in the USSR's case, the "win" is nowhere in sight. The U.S. spends roughly "$3.6 billion per month" on the war. One gallon of petrol costs $45 at delivery point. The estimated cost per soldier is $ 1 billion annually. For 2010 its total war spending in Afghanistan is expected to "exceed $102.9 billion." Yet, America has been unable to subdue a country, roughly the size of Texas. That is why President Obama has announced a draw down in troop levels from 2011. Evidently, he does not relish the idea of beating the Soviet Union's record.

America has already spent $1.6 trillion on the two wars. Meanwhile, it has lost "seven million jobs since December 2007." Only in January 2010, it shed another 85,000 jobs. Record-high numbers of people are seeking assistance to feed themselves and/or their families. Many have committed suicide as their mortgages were foreclosed and they were thrown out of their homes.

According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, 36 million Americans, including one out of every four children, are currently on food stamps. Another study "Hunger in America" from the nation's largest food bank operator, says that "the number of Americans in need of food aid has jumped to 46 percent in three years, including a 50 percent jump in the number of children needing food assistance, and a 64 percent increase in hunger in senior citizens' homes. It further found that "37 million people, or roughly one in eight U.S. residents, received food aid in 2009."

Commenting on the U.S. budget just presented, columnist Simon Tisdall says, "America is broke. Of the total U.S. public debt of $7.5tn, much of it is held by China." Columnist Gerald Seib of the Wall Street Journal draws another dismal picture, saying that, "The U.S. government this year will borrow one of every three dollars it spends, with many of those funds coming from foreign countries. That weakens America's standing and its freedom to act; strengthens China and other world powers, including cash-rich oil producers; puts long-term defence spending at risk; undermines the American system as a model for developing countries; and reduces the aura of power that has been a great intangible asset for presidents for more than a century."

Yet another consequence of the quixotic adventure of "War on Terror" is the denudation of civil liberties in the United States. Once, a champion of civil liberties worldwide, it has deprived its own people of the blessing, robbing them of their privacy, by putting their communications, their engagements and even their DNA under perpetual surveillance.
On the other hand, despite America's wild efforts to win (read, buy) the hearts and minds of Muslims, the latter perceive it as fighting a crusade against Islam; -a fact highlighted by the episodes of Maj. Nidal Hassan and Farouk Abdulmutallab (underwear bomber). In fact it is not Muslims only; there is worldwide contempt for the U.S. Even its old ally Japan is chafing over its base at Okinawa, while President Hugo Chavez of Venezuela calls President George Bush an "ass hole."

The U.S. is therefore desperate to get out of the bog in Afghanistan. Its only concern now is its "face," which it is trying to save at all costs; hence, the January 28 London Conference. UK, UN and Afghanistan co-hosted the gala with seventy nations participating, while America played the puppeteer, too discomfited to come out in the open and admit that it has been stymied.

America invaded Afghanistan to drive away the Taliban. Yet now the same are being invited to come and share power with an offer of $ 1.5 billion over a five-year period. The West once used to condemn Taliban for their "barbaric" practices. They have not changed, yet, there was no talk about their misdeeds. Instead, they were being beseeched to reintegrate and reconcile. The refusal to talk with hard core Taliban is only a last ditch face saving attempt. The time may not be far when Mullah Omar is invited like Ho Chi Minh for peace talks after the much-hyped surge ends in stalemate.

Tisdall has the last word: "In Asia, Africa, and the Middle East after the Second World War, the U.S. extended its geopolitical pre-eminence and market dominance. ...The end of the cold war entrenched its global grip....Now the wheel turns - and it is the U.S. that is coming down with a bump."