IT seems as if there’s been a tectonic shift in international relations lately; tectonic in terms of minimal physical movement, but with extensive, potentially catastrophic consequences.
Francophone countries are one after the other kicking out France and inviting the Russians in via Wagner.
Momentum is gathering the world over for the dethroning of the “almighty dollar” as the international currency of trade.
The Chinese dragon is seemingly spreading its wings over more of the struggling and economically vulnerable countries of the world.
For those watching world affairs, it seems as if the world is on the cusp of new order, a new era of multilateralism and multipolarism.
A world order underpinned by a resurgent and assertive China, with a humbled Russia clinging to its coattails.
If the Global South-Sino-Russia axis was based on principle and doing right, it would all be very well.
But this is an axis of darkness built around the disregard for democracy and human rights.
- A tectonic shift in international relations
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The cold disdainful Chinese reaction to Russian lawyer Alexei Navalny’s death is a chilling portrait of this axis and what it portends for a significant proportion of the world’s population.
It promises Third World governments a cover to unfetter the dark forces within and wreak havoc among their own people at will without the fear of opprobrium.
In terms of governance, it is a gathering of the dark forces of world politics.
China operates concentration camps for the Uighurs; Russia routinely poisons political opponents to death; Iran froths at the mouth with a murderous religious zeal and as for North Korea, their excesses are beyond description.
These are just the headline acts in this nascent world order.
It is clear, therefore, that the great Chinese renaissance does not augur well for the ordinary citizen of the Global South.
The quite reasonable fear is that the day China offers the authoritarian regimes or those so aspiring, the full diplomatic, economic and military succour that the United States once could is the day that many, if not all African governments, will drop all pretence at democracy.
They shall, on that day, hoist their true despotic colours.
This is because China is an all-weather friend to many a strong man in the Global South.
It is a friend for when all decent friends have withdrawn and are ashamed.
In short China is the friend for when you want to do dark, terrible things to your people.
China extends a hand of unconditional friendship.
The West inconveniences and not a little annoys the rulers of the Global South because of the many conditions it imposes — good governance, rule of law, democracy and most exasperating of all, anti-corruption.
By so doing, they strike at the heart of most of these governments.
The Chinese will not only keep a judicious silence to any government excesses, but also aid the incumbents wholeheartedly in the subjugation of their people and engage, to the profit of all, in corruption and pillaging of the Third World’s resources.
China prides itself in not interfering in the affairs of sovereign nations, but this, like many Chinese lies, is a glib statement that needs qualification.
China does not interfere in the affairs of the ruling elite on behalf of the suffering majority.
Why stand for the ordinary rabble who do not offer her any political or economic benefit at the expense of the elite who can and do?
China is often lauded for its role in the various liberation struggles, especially on the African continent.
But we must not confuse Cold War geopolitical plays with principle.
It was in the political and fortuitously, long-term economic interests of China to support African liberation movements.
The new world order founded on a multipolar geopolitical dispensation is a frightening prospect for the long-suffering peoples of Africa.
The day that China becomes the preeminent world power is the day that sounds the death knell of democracy in much of the world.
American economic and political might keep many governments the world over measurably honest.
That is why there is always this surliness in the Global South’s interactions with the West and the United States.
Our governments are denied the freedom to do as they please, they resent having their coattails firmly in Uncle Sam’s grip.
A cogent argument can be made that it was the implicit threat of US/Western punitive action that kept the Zimbabwean government from venting its full fury on the opposition supporters in 2008 and even guarantees us the semblance of elections and multiparty politics that we have.
This is why the dictators and deviants of global politics are all rooting for China.
China’s rise represents not a dawn, but a coming of the dark night, in which the evil doer can be themselves and do thoroughly bad things.
As John 3:20 says: “Everyone who does evil hates the light”.
It seems as if Africa is possessed by an anguished longing for darkness in its heart borne out of our leaders’ blood lust and avarice.
Our deviant governments chafe at the scrutiny of the West.
They prefer that much of their doings remain things of the night.
This is almost impossible to achieve with the West because their governments are open to an agonising level of scrutiny by the public, the press and opposition politicians.
With China, there is no free Press, curiosity is a decidedly unhealthy pastime for members of the public and there is no opposition politics.
It is, therefore, no surprise that the more decadent, dubious and incompetent a government becomes, the more it turns to China.
Our cousins down south are a telling example of this; now they are even holding joint military drills with the Russians and Chinese.
Should the public become restive then the Chinese and Russians would be only too happy to help in putting them down.
And if a leader needs to siphon millions from his country’s coffers, it will help too and happily partake in the pillaging of resources and the unceremonious displacement of any unfortunate locals.
In the West, there are thousands of newshounds just dreaming of winning the Pulitzer for an exposé of government misdeeds like this.
This, therefore, is a warning to all citizens of the Global South. Be very careful what you applaud much less wish for.
China is no friend to the commoner, not even its own people.
The few rights and protections we have enjoyed as citizens thus far are not because of the paternalistic largesse of our leaders.
They have had to be wrung out of them, one resentful concession at a time by the West’s purse strings.
All our leaders await the day they can thumb their noses at the West’s money and perhaps murder a few thousands of their own people just to spite the white man.
- Rigid Kondongwe is a political commentator. He writes here in his personal capcity.
