Munich Security Conference addresses root causes of world's troubles
- By Wang Yiwei
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E-mail CNTV, February 18, 2016
Poverty and wealth gap
Fu Ying, chairwoman of the Committee on Foreign Affairs of China's National People's Congress (China's top legislature), expounded on economic solutions for security issues at the MSC, which gathered support from attendees, including Michael Muller, UN Secretary-General of Geneva office.
He said the previous security discussion was too superficial, and economic development can be a key to eliminate terrorism. There are Chinese sayings that thieves out of poverty, building roads first to acquire more wealth.
Ukraine President complained that Russia's intrusion had caused the collapse of the Ukrainian economy. The GDP (gross domestic product) of Ukraine was 1/4 of Poland before the crisis erupted. Attendees asked, where were Western's donations to Ukraine? How can the nation eradicate corruption?
Apparently, the poverty and wealth gap were economic causes behind security challenges.
Inertia and capriciousness of US hegemony
After World War II, Europeans felt grateful towards the US and ideologically looked to Washington for guidance. Europe still has that mindset. US Secretary of State John Kerry said Washington supported a powerful United Kingdom to stay in the EU.
Washington shared the same feelings with Europe over the refugee crisis and will never sit around. Washington is promoting peace talks in Syria and Afghanistan. Some Chinese took it for granted that Europe would reflect upon its foreign policy of following the US during the "Arab Spring." Yet, it has not happened.
A dependence on Washington has led to superficial reflections of European realities, especially for NATO member states in Europe, as well as Ukraine who requested to join NATO.
The inertia of US hegemony has trapped Europe in Washington's strategic orbit. The secretary-general of NATO was asked why Washington didn't remove its anti-missile system in Eastern Europe, since Iran's nuclear agreement was reached?
The chairman of the Council on Foreign Relations of American Senate was asked what happened after the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) put forward two prerequisites to terminate nuclear tests: stop US-South Korea military exercises and conclude a peace agreement through negotiations?
Why did the US refuse to respond, but wait for Pyongyang to conduct nuclear tests? What's Washington's objective for the Korean Peninsula? Was it to deploy the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system?
The deployment of THAAD system was useless compared to the short-distance hundreds of thousands of artillery of the DPRK. The real purpose to deploy THAAD system appears to weaken Beijing's deterrence.
The US response was rendered speechless, which reflected the inertia and capriciousness of US hegemony.
The Munich Security Conference revealed that nationalism, populism, democracy, poverty and wealth gap, inertia and capriciousness of US hegemony seem to be the root causes of the world's troubles.
The author is a senior research fellow of Charhar Institute, director of Center for EU Studies, Renmin University
( The opinions expressed here do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Panview or CCTV.com. )
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