The United States has been going all-out to sanction and isolate Russia ever since the Russia-Ukraine conflict broke out in February last year. This, however, did not deter 49 of the 54 African countries from attending the Russia-Africa Summit on July 27.

Russia is barely attractive to Africa if only economic factors are considered: Russia accounts for only 1 percent of Africas foreign investments, and its bilateral trade with Africa amounts to only $17.7 billion, compared with Chinas $282 billion, the European Unions $254 billion, and the US $83 billion.

Not only Africa, but also Latin America and the majority of Asian countries did not join with the US to sanction Russia. Even some Western European countries such as France and Germany didnt totally agree with the US regarding the conflict initially. The Ukraine crisis once again reveals that the unipolar world established by the US after the Cold War has found itself in a tight spot for the simple reason that all countries are victimised or losing out under the US-dominated unipolar world order.

Europe traditionally has been an ally of the US, fighting side by side with Washington in the two world wars and the Cold War. Once, however, the Cold War ended and was replaced by the US-dominated unipolar world order, Washington no longer respected its allies; rather, it practiced unilateralism. Nothing has better exposed Washingtons arrogance than then-secretary of State Madeleine Albrights declaration in 1998 that if we have to use force, it is because we are America; we are the indispensable nation. We stand tall and we see further than other countries into the future.

In just over two decades, two unilateralist US presidents George W Bush and Donald Trump emerged. In 2005, Bush appointed John Bolton as the US ambassador to the United Nations, who was remembered for his assertion that the relationship between the US and the rest of the world should resemble that between a hammer and a nail, and that the US can bash whoever it likes.

US can bash whoever it likes

Hence, Bush, in disregard of the opposition of France and Germany, two of the US main European allies, waged a war against Iraq without the authorisation of the United Nations; Trump launched a trade war against Europe; and Joe Biden, the so-called Atlanticist, has proved to be an alter ego of Trump by repeatedly harming European interests.

The developing world is also a victim of the unipolar world order. Take Africa as an example. The US and the Soviet Union competed for its support by offering aid to the continent during the Cold War. But after the Cold War came to an end, with Russia becoming too weak to have a meaningful presence in Africa, and the US rising to dominance, Africa lost its geostrategic significance and was subsequently abandoned and neglected by Europe and the US.

This explains why NATO bombed Yugoslavia, which did not pose a threat to its members, when 45 Albanians were killed in Kosovo, but took no actions against the massacre in Rwanda that claimed the lives of 500,000 to 800,000 people.

The US monopolised the fruits of the Cold War and did not reward its allies according to merit; the US-dominated unipolar world thus rapidly lost support in the international community. Europe was the first that came to its senses to stand up against the unipolar world order; for example, France was opposed to the invasion of Iraq in 2003.

Stepping into the 21st century, however, in the wake of the rise of Russia and the emerging economies typified by China, the US has gradually revised its unilateralism and returned to its Cold War diplomacy. This once again allows the world to see the benefits of a multipolar world, and there is no shortage of such examples.

In 1993, for instance, the US closed its embassy in the Solomon Islands and abandoned the Pacific island country. The rise of China has prompted Washington to reopen its embassy in the island country and offer it a lot of resources.

Multipolarity is in the interest of the world

Africa, which had been neglected after the Cold War, is once again a key player in global geopolitics. The Russia-Africa Summit aside, there are also summits between Africa and China, India, France, Europe and the US. The United States-Africa Leaders Summit, in particular, was held for the first time in 2014 when China was seen as the key rival of the US. At the third US-Africa Summit in 2022, Washington announced that it would invest $55 billion in Africa over the next three years, and the US signed trade and investment agreements worth $15 billion with African countries. During the just-concluded Russia-Africa Summit, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced the supply of 25,000 to 50,000 metric tons of food for free to six African countries in the next three to four months, and the cancellation of nearly $20 billion in debt owed by African countries.

After China proposed and promoted the Belt and Road Initiative, the US and Europe also rolled out similar plans. It is a natural choice for Africa to support a multipolar world.

A multipolar world not only benefits developing countries, but also developed nations. When Italy became the first country in Europe hit by COVID-19 in 2020, none of the EU members responded to its request for help, with France and Germany even refusing to export masks to Italy. China was the only country that lent a helping hand. The EU eventually apologised and offered assistance to Italy out of public pressure. Therefore, it is no surprise that Europe, Russia, Africa, and emerging countries all vote for a multipolar world.

Washington has been resisting a multipolar world order out of self-interest. Indeed, distinguished American international relations scholar John Mearsheimer has repeatedly noted that Washington was responsible for the annexation of Crimea by Russia in 2014 and the current Russia-Ukraine conflict. Obviously, the two events are the results of Washingtons strategy to sabotage the multipolar world order. The Russia-Ukraine conflict will not only significantly weaken Russia, but also render Europe more dependent on the US. This explains why the US still manoeuvres in Europe despite treating China as its chief rival.

The apparent competition between Beijing and Washington, therefore, is in essence a struggle between a multipolar world and a unipolar one. Conceivably, those who are victimised by the unipolar world order dominated by the US all choose to stand against the US.

This is an excerpted version of his Chinese-language article published previously in the Ta Kung Pao newspaper.

Re Published from CHINA DAILY HK EDITION August 17, 2023