In shaping great events, British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher (1979-1990) said that one must win the argument first before acting.
President Joe Biden has failed spectacularly on all fronts. In the war against Russia, in which he used Ukraine as a surrogate to test US smart weapons against Russia, he assumed that the whole world outside Europe would march with him.
He imposed the most severe sanctions ever imposed on any nation since World War 11, froze US$300 billion of Russian funds held in Europe and the US.
He unilaterally froze oil prices at US$60 per barrel, without consulting the oil producing countries and forbade any other country to do business with Russia.
That is a big deal.
Many African and Asian leaders had a different perspective. India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi summarised it this way.
“When will the US and Europe realize that their problems are not our problems?”
China watched as Russia was bullied over Ukraine and as the US encircled it with Nato allies. If Russia succumbed, China would be on the menu over Taiwan in the next go round.
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US foreign policy also carries with it American social agenda. Biden, in a dramatic move, had selected Malawi, Kenya and Uganda as a testing ground for gay-trans-gender policies.
Malawi has already succumbed to threats Uganda is adamant that it cannot allow itself to be dictated to on gay marriages by a foreign power. Nevertheless, a US State Department spokesperson went ahead to utter threats about unspecified actions if Uganda refused to accept gay marriages.
Similarly, South Africa, showing some spine, has rejected pressure from US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen to disengage with Russia. Again, Yellin said that “certain actions” yet to be disclosed would be taken if South Africa continued with friendly relations with Russia.
Holy Spirit
But the great revelation, according to my sources is this. The US policy makers do not realize that all over the world, relationships cannot be made over a two-minute telephone call. They take time and are sealed by exchange of favors and gifts. (Source. UK Spy Alistair Crook).
There is another revelation which has dawned on most Afro-Asian countries. In a state of nature, if Brazil has bananas and Nigeria has oil, they will reach an exchange rate based on how many bananas are equivalent to a barrel of oil. Now listen carefully, my brothers, this is new knowledge.
Somewhere along the line, the US hegemon, decided that Brazil must first buy US dollars and that Nigeria must accept US dollars even if it has no business with the US. Listen well and get this new knowledge right. Each time you use the US dollar (which the Hegemon prints) you are allowing the US to take a cut of your production.
Therefore 140 countries, fearing US retaliation, are watching the BRICS countries experiment with direct trade among the five giants, Russia, China, India, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, and India.
As we go to press, the Chinese yuan is being traded in Russian streets and that Saudi Arabia has accepted the deal. Two minutes ago, I got a call from my source, saying that “Saudi Arabia has broken away from US dominated policy and is setting a new course away from the dollar dominated economy.”
This is big stuff.
Politically, it appears that China has persuaded the Middle East countries to realise that “all their troubles are caused by the US playing one Muslim brother against another.” (Source. Alistair Crooke)
It appears that China sat the Muslim brothers together and said to them nicely (Zimbabwe English); “Who invaded Iraq? Who invaded Syria? Who invaded Afghanistan? Who benefits from Muslims killing their brothers?”
All the Middle East countries, with China as referee, have agreed not to go to war with a brother Muslim country at the behest of the US.
This becomes juicy. I am told that the Chinese informed the Muslim brothers that the US is bothering them in the Chinese sea, where the Chinese are building lookouts. The US has military bases in the Philippines, Japan and in South Korea. And yet it says that China is a threat to peace.
There is more.
Apparently Chinese president Xi Jinping has shared with the BRICS countries what they call the humiliation by the US. During president Barak Obama’s time, there was a feeling in the US that China was manipulating the value of its yuan. “We have a rule-based system,” he said. “Now we must teach the Chinese how to play by the rules.”
The Biden administration repeated the same insult. The World Trade Organization rules were written by the US and European countries. BRICS countries want to write their own.
Having the US dollar in competition with a local currency is suicidal as it encourages natives to bank their surplus wealth abroad rather than plow back into their native lands.
Unkindest cut of all
As we go to press there is an international conference in China. One of the speakers who has mesmerised the 1 000 plus audience is a Zambian by the name of Mnene Mbembe.
Mbembe did an unwise thing. He attacked US policy directly and mentioned names.
He said that the US has been knocking at doors of every African country, asking if they can be friends.
“This the country which has murdered our leaders.
This is the country which murdered Patrice Lumumba
This is the country which murdered Muammar Kaddafi.
Now they come wanting to teach us democracy.”
When I was young and foolish, I wrote in the Sunday Mail (1984) that the Zimbabwe minister of Foreign Affairs, who had bothered me at Great Zimbabwe was a barbarian and some worse things.
I left Zimbabwe before some unspecified action was taken on my person. Mbembe should be advised that there are no prisoners taken in this game.
President Biden needs to rethink US policies at home and abroad.
- Ken Mufuka is a Zimbabwean patriot. He writes from the US.
