Written by Fahim Foysal Khan (A.G. Church School, Dhaka)
“If there is anything that could contribute to the end of human civilization, it’s war. And I, consider myself an unlucky individual to be a part of this dirty world.”
What is war? Where did it evolve from? And why are we so desperate to wage it against anybody now and then? The concept of war is nothing new in our modern world. The wounds we got from two colossal World Wars have not healed enough. Yet, we humans do not even realize and are busy making fore-thoughts and weapons for our own destruction, worsening the wound which would eventually become the cause of our extinction! But war does not occur in the blink of our eyes. Vengeance, money and greed are the causes. Just like we fight on the streets to prove how much we are more capable or powerful than the opponent. But have you ever thought that war does not only consist of fighting with flammable weapons? There is a variety of wars that affect our lives both tangibly and intangibly! These concepts’ evolution started far earlier, from the era of Dynasties and Caliphates, introducing the world to the term, Geopolitics! Some examples of it are Economic wars, Geopolitical wars, Technology wars, Capital wars, and the one that we got introduced to during the mid-19th century, the Space war. Shall we dig a bit deeper then?!
The Era of the Beginning
If you think geopolitics is only a matter of politics or international relations regarding a country’s geographical location, then you are not aware of some important points regarding the topic. Firstly, it is a matter of International Economy, International Trade, International Relations, International Politics and Trading Blocs. Issues related to these agendas are to be solved diplomatically. Or else, humanitarian disasters like war, famine and economical breakdowns can be seen! These all are related to the concept of Globalization, which is a concept of believing that there is just one economy throughout the world. Thanks to this concept, countries can now trade with different countries through exporting and importing! Researches according to the ‘Archeological Hub’ state that geopolitics had existed even in the period of Mohenjo Daro and in ancient Egypt, some of the oldest human civilizations! Even geopolitics played significant roles in maintaining stable trade relations between ancient kingdoms and empires. International politics were used in a specialized way to prevent wars with the neighbours or any major consequences. Even the world’s two colossal wars were fought due to the lack of international cooperation and weaker trade relations throughout the world!
“We Win, They Lose!”
“One small step for a man, one giant leap for mankind”
– Neil Armstrong
This is a very well-known quotation to us. Neil Armstrong, the man with the space suit, waving towards the Earth was the first man to step on the Moon! Perhaps, geopolitics landed on the Moon with him that day as well. The starting of the space race was initiated during a period of time some of us know today as the ‘Cold War’! This was a war between the two giant superpowers and their allies, the democratic United States of America and the communist regime of the Soviet Union!
Although named as a war, mentioning it as a combat war would not be correct as this war contained a variety of competitions and proxy wars to prove which side of the two colossal powers was to dominate the world! In such a period, the geography of the world took a new shape. People were able to view the downfall of monarchies, dictatorships and regimes. Alliances like the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and trading blocs like the European Union (EU) started their journey in that very era. The Warsaw pact was also nothing to get neglected! Major events like the communist revolution in China, the Korean war, the Vietnam war, the fall of the Berlin wall and the fall of the Soviet Union were seen during the period. Consequences of the war are still faced by the people of Korea as the 38th parallel divided their land into two separate nations. Although, many countries were able to demolish colonization in their lands and achieve independence, that’s when modern Geopolitics started taking its shape!
The Modern Geopolitics: Whom to Blame?
As the cold war ended in the late 20th century with the fall of the Soviet Union, another era started taking its position. With the USA’s victory in the space race and the spread of communism decreasing its pace, the world was getting ready to experience the uprisings of new superpowers and major trade and economic wars! Tech giants like Google, Microsoft and others have taken geopolitics to a different level. Nowadays, starting from a toy to almost every product, “Made in China” can be found written on them. But don’t you get hit with the question that why China is everywhere? Why not others or your own country? Here is how all these began! Until the ‘80s, most of the small and large products were produced in Europe. Those products were expensive due to the shipping charges and the lower supplies of cheap labours in the developed region. At the beginning of the 21st century, The People’s Republic of China started getting familiar with Globalization. Being an isolated communist country for decades, the country ultimately opened its borders and started trading worldwide. By the end of 1998, the country was renowned as “The factory of the world.” Due to having the advantage of a cheap labour force, the country was able to produce products at a much cheaper rate than Europe. As a result, ‘De-industrialization’ and the rise of tertiary sectors were seen throughout the world, except for some countries like China! As the tech giants in America and the export of cheap logistics from China increased, the modern world started experiencing the arrival of a new communist Superpower, not with a motive of being the ‘Priest of Communism’, but with the intention of ascending the throne of the world! The first communist country to have diplomatic tie-ups with the USA during the 1971 Indo-Pak war is now facing economic and trade wars between each other. Due to earning a massive amount of wealth and solidifying its defense programs, China eventually started boycotting American diplomacy and sanctions! This made the whole pattern of Indo-Pacific geopolitics bound to change! Large naval vessels and sorties from the Chinese air force are now common in regions like the South China sea and the western coast of Taiwan. Having diplomatic tie-ups with the United States, China has now become a threat to Taiwan, officially known as ‘The Republic of China’, it has now become a concern for them regarding the protectionism of their sovereignty since the end of the Chinese civil war! Even though, American giants like Apple and Tesla have large factories operating in China, the modern relationship between the two nations has raised concerns. Examples of these trade wars are the increased tariffs on Chinese imports in the US and the increased trade barriers imposed on US investments in China in 2018. Another remarkable point to discuss is the Chinese debt trap!
You can foreshadow by hearing such words already. Yes, the money game! Being a nation where 90% of the people live within the coastal areas in the east, China has to spend a large amount of money for their import of oil and other logistics from the middle-east. Bringing oil crossing the mighty Indian Ocean through the disputed Strait of Malacca, then crossing the South China sea increases the basic costs. In order to reduce the cost, an initiative had been launched by the country on September 7, 2013. The most commonly heard term is the Pakistan-China economic belt. The initiative consists of oil ships porting at Gwadar deep sea port in Pakistan (financed by China itself), the oil is then transported by crossing a straight road through Pakistan to the border and then entering China! 6 Very easy to understand right? Consequently, another initiative is on the run after the Economic belt, The One belt road initiative in South Asia! Relatively the same as the other terms, China has been investing enormously in the infrastructural developments in developing countries like Myanmar, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh by providing loans at a small interest rate! Only to make possible a plan of connecting the ports of Chittagong and Yangon with the silk road which will eventually transport the logistics at the borders of China through Myanmar. This seems quite beneficial to some points, as developing nations are getting investments and on the other hand, China is also able to fulfill its own needs. But pros and cons do exist. The bankruptcy of Sri Lanka in mid-2022 is nothing new to us. Due to the construction of Hambantota port in the country, China provided them with loans. But due to equivocal accountancy and corruption, the nation was unable to pay back the aid! Therefore, the port was leased to China for 99 years! As a result, other costs of the construction, the Covid crisis and the high level of corruption, led the country towards bankruptcy!
This process can be seen in other African states where China is funding their infrastructures in exchange for building their naval ports and other projects. This has raised concerns regarding the Siliguri corridor in India as the 200 km long and 60 cm wide narrow strip of land is the only connecting point 7 of India’s northeast with the western side. Being close to the border of China in the north and Bangladesh in the southeast, Bangladesh’s improving relationship with China raises India’s concerns regarding the strip as China has been always keen on occupying the region! As Ukraine’s joining NATO has been raising concerns in Kremlin, Ukraine has been denying all sorts of negotiations with Russia lately. Therefore, the Russian invasion of Ukraine did not wait to take place! As the USA has a ‘Habit’ of interfering in other countries’ internal issues, with all of its allies, America has been providing financial and military aid to Ukraine, making Russia more desperate to win the war against the proxy United States. Making Europe along with the whole world face drastic consequences like economic downfalls and possible famines in some regions! And not surprisingly, China’s improved relationship with Russia is now to be seen publicly.
The Future?
Geopolitics has become a common phenomenon for people. It has been existing from the beginning of civilizations till now and will in the future! Although, tactical warfare has changed throughout time. Every generation experiences a new superpower’s existence. And to obliterate it, another power evolves. As China, Russia and the US fight along with their allies, it is the people who suffer the most, facing economic sanctions or sometimes invasions due to siding with a specific bloc. One important country’s downfall could shake the mass of the whole world! Due to globalization, every economy is now dependent on another, except for some countries like North Korea. 8 The current world leaders should re-structuralize Geopolitics. Governments and leaders want to develop their current accounts by fulfilling their ‘aggregate demands’ through making money. But, on the other side, environmental damage and unequal distribution of wealth are the cons! Governments must be aware of setting limits to industries regarding damaging the environment and the focus should not only be the money but the betterment of people, which includes the future generation as well! Due to global warming, low-lying countries like Bangladesh and the Maldives are facing drastic cyclones and floods, and countries in Africa are facing droughts! These are not only causing people to abandon their homes but become unable of feeding their families! In regard to these, the UN has declared the ‘Sustainable development Program’ or the SDG goals! This program includes 17 goals like preventing global warming, violence against women, environment protectionism and so on! But above all, these goals are not to be achieved if global cooperation does not exist. In this world, where Geopolitics is known as breaking one to grow another, this might stay as an unfulfilled dream! Therefore, now is the time!
Let’s get involved together and stop ourselves from getting extinct! Now is the time!
References
The Conflicts of the Cold War
5 Key Cold War Events < https://online.norwich.edu/academic-programs/resources/5- key-cold-war-events>
How the US-China Trade War Affected the Rest of the World < https://www.nber.org/digest/202204/how-us-china-trade-war-affected-rest- world#:~:text=In%202018%20and%202019%2C%20the,the%20rest%20of%20the%20w orld.
The Silk Road
Behind China’s Sikkim aggression, a plan to isolate Northeast from rest of India< https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/defence/border-face-off-why-china-tries-to- break-chickens-neck-to-isolate-northeast/articleshow/59420472.cms>