Iran, the United States ...
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For us in Asia, Africa and Latin America, this would be read as the will to rewesternize us, that is, to reimpose the Western mode of modernity on us. The spirit that Rubio wishes to ignite among the Europeans, one which “sent ships out into uncharted seas and birthed our civilization,” is decidedly imperialist. We fear that the recent United States initiatives in Gaza, Venezuela and Iran are the workings of that spirit.
The reassertion of the West’s superiority and expression of the will to renew its dominant, imperialist role in the world is likely a reflection of perceived weakness and fear of becoming a “faint and feeble echo,” as Rubio put it, of their past. It is something that the Third World, Global Majority, the peoples of Asia, Africa and Latin America must be weary of and guard against. The anti-imperialist impulse had always been there, but has alarmed the West due to certain changes and movements that have arisen in recent years. These include the rise of BRICS and the idea of de-dollarization, regional re-alignments in the African Sahel that reject French and United States control, the consolidation of ties among socialist states such as China, North Korea and Russia to counter Western dominance, and the Latin American The Pink Tide, that is, the wave of leftist political movements and governments that emerged there since the beginning in the late 1990s and early 2000s. Iran’s steadfast anti-imperialist and anti-Zionist stance and its firm opposition to US interference in the affairs of West Asian nations is a part of global anti-imperialism.
The West, led by the United States is, therefore, a declining hegemonic power. This is not just an objective reality but is also perceived to be the case by all, including those in the West. While on the decline, the West will fight to regain its glory.
We in Asia, Africa and Latin America, our citizens, civil society movements and governments, must decide on what side of history to stand. Do we allow for the erosion of international law and sovereignty, and the promotion of neo-colonialism and imperialism, through the active participation in that process or complicity via silence, or do we join the forces of anti-imperialism. The time is coming for us to consider these choices.