The very foundations of the "rules-based global order" seem to be collapsing.
As westerners we know that our strength lies in our unity cemented by our shared values. But these days it appears that all that strength is proving increasingly hollow. Spats and mudslinging among European powers has become a daily diversion, but last week we saw cracks appearing at the very foundation of the empire's architecture.
On Saturday, 19 November the secretive
Trilateral Commission held a meeting in Tokyo. For the first time in the organization's 50 years, the press - three reporters from Nikkei Asia - were allowed to witness the proceedings of the Commission's Asia Pacific Group on condition that they don't identify delegates by name in reporting their statements. Even so, what they reported was remarkable, showing that cracks are appearing in the very foundation of the empire, a.k.a. the "rules-based global order."
Rahm Emanuel, the US Ambassador to Japan delivered his remarks in a speech titled, "Democracy vs. autocracy: You are going to see 2022 as an inflection point in the success of democracy." It was a serving of all the usual globalist talking points, but it seems that the Asian delegates weren't too impressed. A former Japanese official challenged Emanuel:
"What is the ambassador saying? We must engage China. If we force countries to choose sides, the Southeast Asian nations will choose China. The key is not to force them to choose."A veteran member from the Philippines said,
"When two elephants fight to the death, we will all be dead. And the question is, what for?" Commission's executive committee member and next director of the Asia Pacific Group
Masahisa Ikeda said,
"We feel that the U.S. policy toward Asia, especially toward China has been narrow-minded and unyielding..."Although the language of the discussions was diplomatic, it was clear that Asian delegates largely reject the American policy towards Asia. Overall, the gathering was described as
"nervous that the world is heading in the wrong direction," that
"the problem is America" and that "It's the U.S. penchant for exporting its ideology that is the main concern for many."
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