For those who may be interested, my buddy Selwyn Manning and I have decided to revive the “A View from Afar” podcast next week.
There is so much going on in the world the days, most of it bad sad to say, but our geopolitical angle perched down in the deep South Pacific may be different than some other perspectives for those who live in other parts of the world (and perhaps surprising to some who live in this neck of the woods)..
The show airs Monday February 23 at 12:00PM NZ time and Sunday February 22 6:00PM US East Coast time. It streams live on YouTube and various streaming platforms and then will be on demand. Just look for the title of the show wherever you listen/watch podcasts.
The first show highlights the death knell of the liberal international order and the US role in ringing that bell. Here is a summary tease of what is in store:
“The sad fact, though, is that the US is the center of our earthly geopolitical universe, serving as the first rock to drop in the global pond whose ripple effects are extensive, negative, and washing up in unexpected and unforeseen ways. That rock, in fact, is a black hole sucking the remnants of the rules-based order into oblivion, or if not oblivion, irrelevance in a new age of power politics (might makes right, etc.). It is a dark force from which things as they exist cannot return.”
See you then!
I think I’ve found a catchy name for the axis of freedumb led by Trump and his toadies: the “Mar-a-Lago Pact”. It’s a very deliberate nod to the Warsaw Pact of the Cold War, and is tied to a specific group of leaders in the moment.
KR:
Yes, that is a good one. Best to send your suggestion directly to the White House (https://www.whitehouse.gov/contact/), where they will add the word “Trump” before the “Mar-a-Lago Pact” and find something rubbish to pin it on. Maybe a military and trade agreement with Argentina, El Salvador and the Coalition of Chaos in NZ?
I will be interested to see your in-depth take on things (both) – – but I beg to differ, I do not share your dark view of the future Paul.
The chaos will pass, as Trump will pass, and some semblance of order – rules based order ? – will re-establish itself. It may not be so encompassing (if it ever was really) but it will be calmer and more certain.
Unless Trump allows the US to re-elect him somehow, if he manipulates the system …. but he is old, and getting older every day. (Surely there is no-one worse than him who would take over.)
I confess I have started watching footage of Gavin Newsom (that is not an intentional segue lol) – I’m sure you’ll have something to say about that (or him) … but I find his outspokenness and honesty reassuring and encouraging, for the future.
I am no expert at all, not a geo-politico – just a modest BA in
humanities – but nevertheless wanting learn much more and intensely interested in the direction the world is going.
Looking forward to it :-)
Thanks Barbara,
As I said to another friend on a different platform, “…take solace in that out of the ashes of the old order something new and better may come. That is worth working for.” But what will come will have to incorporate the Global South on more equitable terms. It cannot be a soft power neo-imperialist project like the Libera order was. The upheaval with therefore have to be major and fundamental. Sadly/fortunately, Trump and his vortex are the agents of change and are in the process of re-arranging the international system even though what eventually emerges will not be in their preferred image.
As for Trump’s successor. Vance, Rubio, various dark horse politicians and even some rightwing media types are all jockeying for position. The good news is that MAGA is fracturing along “America First” and “Great Again” factions, so none of these chumps will be able to marshal followers and receive electoral support in the measure that Trump has. And then there is the ongoing and increasing fallout from the Epstein files…
I think this re-equilibration as you describe it with the Global South may take time. I looked Global South up again to check again my understanding of the term and see it includes China.
If it cannot be soft power influence then what will it be? What do you mean by ‘major and fundamental’?
Will the US continue its decline – that is something to think about, and the vacuum will be filled, perhaps by … China ? Not with its current human rights record and other limitations, being an authoritarian state. Europe ? Now there’s a thought.
I am just making this up as I go along!
Please ask Selwyn not to interrupt you too much in the broadcast.
I know I shouldn’t say this, but he can break the flow, of ideas, experience and information, and you are the one who has that in spades.
Sometimes the broadcasts can be disjointed, and unresolved.
I mean that in the kindest way :-)
Barbara,
Yes, the concept of the Global South includes countries of the North such as the PRC and India, even Russia and Iran The BRICS countries, now expanded in membership, demonstrate that the notion in about something other than geographical position. It is about being part of the post-imperialist, post-colonial world, where rules are not imposed by the North but are generated autonomously on the basis of horizontal solidarity ties within the South. Of course the latter is an ideal yet to be achieved rather than an actual extant mechanism, but the idea is to meld the non-aligned movement into a broader mix of non Anglo-Saxon and Euro-centric cultures and States.
Self-determination is part of this and that may include adhering to pre-modern or anti-liberal belief systems. Not good as far as I am concerned but then again I am a European descendent raised and socialized in the West. What matters for the Global South is having a say in the making of international rules and norms and being treated as equals within the broader international community. That mayor may not eventuate but it is the shared aspirational goal, at least as it is professed at the moment. We also have to remember that perhaps the PRC will act differently if it is networked into different South originated systems or at least those that are not thinly veiled Western dominated. That may be a pipe dream in the minds of many, but since a new international order appears inevitable, having it at the core of the emergent polycentric system just might soften its approach to international relations when compared to its current stance.
Selwyn and I see the show as a dialogue between friends, which means that rather than a polished and slick rehearsed production, we agree on some themes in advance and then more or less wing it on the day. Since we have different backgrounds in almost all regards other than being two Pakeha fellows in NZ at the same time, this leads to different angles of inquiry as things come to mind. Some of it may be off-track or tangential but we try to steer things back on course before the main thought is lost. It may not suit all tastes but we hope that it stays in good taste.