GEOPOLITICAL CHAOS

A world on the brink of a new Cold War? 'There is a big rearrangement going on, everything is going in a dangerous direction' 'Our world cannot afford a future in which the two greatest economic powers divide the world in half' Writes: Jutarnji.hrPosted: September 23, 2020 5:55 pm Donald Trump and Xi Jinping Donald Trump and Xi Jinping Nicolas Asfouri / AFP Facebook Twitter Messenger E-mail These days, the United Nations is celebrating the 75th anniversary of its existence. But the global order they helped create after World War II is on shaky ground, the BBC writes in its analysis of the current global geopolitical situation. US President Donald Trump’s policy that only America matters (“America first”) has led to the US withdrawing from a series of multilateral agreements, such as the Paris Climate Agreement and the nuclear deal with Iran. But as America retreats, so China is slowly taking its place. The spread of Chinese influence comes at a price. As Beijing has allocated more and more money to various international organizations, such as the WHO, in recent years, it has asked these organizations to act in accordance with their expectations. Just remember the embarrassing ignoring of Taiwan and their warnings during the initial months of the pandemic. And while UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres speaks of the UN at a turning point, and recalls an organization that once knew the importance of unity, concerns about growing tensions between the U.S. and China, the two largest global powers, are growing. French President Emmanuel Macron also warned about this in his message to the UN General Assembly , saying that we cannot leave the world at the mercy of the rivalry between China and the United States. 'Chinese virus' That this rivalry, which in recent years has led to a trade war, is increasingly turning into an open conflict, was also shown by Trump's message to the General Assembly. The US president called China on the global stage and accused it of spreading a coronavirus pandemic, which he persistently calls the “Chinese virus”. Since Trump is only 40 days away from elections in which, at least according to polls, he could very easily lose the White House, it is important for him to galvanize his base with sharp messages. China served as a favorite target here, as was the case during his campaign four years ago. Especially in a situation when the United States is the only country in which covid-19 took more than 200,000 lives, for which both the American and global public of the detachment blame the Trump administration. But could a new bipolar world in which the US and China are fighting for supremacy ultimately result in an armed conflict between the two powers? UN Secretary-General Guterres certainly believes that at least a new Cold War is possible, like the one that took place between the United States and the Soviet Union 45 years after World War II. RELATED NEWS Xi Jinping (on screens) in a speech before the UN General Assembly IN THE MIDDLE OF TENSION Xi Jinping in a speech to the United Nations: 'China has no intention of waging either a cold or a hot war' CONFLICT OF FORCE Guterres calls for 'Cold War avoidance' of US and China, Trump: 'They are responsible for this plague' - We are moving in a very dangerous direction. Our world cannot afford a future in which the two greatest economic powers divide the world in half. Economic and technological divisions inevitably lead to geostrategic and military divisions. And we must avoid that at all costs - said Guterres. China's conciliatory message? At the same time, Chinese President Xi Jinping , perhaps the country's most powerful leader since Mao Zedong , said in a message to the General Assembly that "China has no intention of starting a cold or hot war with any country." That message clearly outlined the context in which the international community finds itself, that is, in the midst of tensions between China and the United States, which was largely created during Donald Trump’s tenure in the White House. Experienced diplomats from the East River, where the UN headquarters is located, have always liked to describe the debate in the General Assembly as creative chaos. Now it is, one of them told a BBC reporter , just chaos. It seems that no one wants to take responsibility anymore and that all leaders look first at their own interest or the interest of their country, while few people think about the bigger picture. And while the UN secretary general is begging world statesmen to be united in responding to the great challenges facing the world - pandemic, global economic crisis, climate change - not an hour after his speech, Trump told them all to follow his example and set their country in the first place. If Trump wins again in November, that policy of his will come to life even more, and the UN will further lose in importance. The same fate may await NATO. A global reshuffle is under way, the BBC concludes, but we still don't know who will take on the role of leader.