History has a tendency of repeating itself, albeit this time badly.
The year 2016 and its aftermath is a repeat of some historical events that existed before World War II. From Brexit to the rise of Donald Trump and other populist movements across Europe, to the Syrian crisis, to several falling/fallen states across the globe, the world seems to be moving in the opposite direction.
For all the hullaballoo that is happening, one can’t help but think that the world is now lacking a common purpose and vision or, put differently, the world has forgotten its own history. Countries that have for long been an example have now lost the moral authority to guide the world.
With the rise of Donald Trump, America’s leadership and influence is likely to come to an end. Its wider vision that embodies efforts to combat climate change, advocacy for globalization, democracy and respect for human rights was thrown in the dustbin of history when a man who has a narrow worldview and who perhaps doesn’t understand history or international diplomacy was given the mantle to mislead the most powerful nation on earth.
Since 1945, America, together with European allies, has built a world order based on cooperation between states that maintains balance of power and solves global challenges such as climate change, terrorism and epidemics, among others.
It is largely because of America’s role and influence that institutions such as the United Nations were built to address these global challenges. Now that America seems to have relinquished that role, one wonders who will replace it.
Of course countries such as China and Russia will utilize the vacuum, but the question is: which type of leadership will they offer to the world and what is the major motive behind that leadership?
Europe, whose history has been the basis for modern democracy, is also in a state of confusion. With Brexit and other countries threatening to follow the same trend, European solidarity is likely to grow weaker.
Other well-organized countries that could offer global leadership such as Canada are either timid or unwilling to lead from the front. So, a grotesque picture lies ahead. Maybe the only hope could be that the four years of Trump will soon end and a more visionary person will take over.
Prior to the Second World War, the rise of populist leaders such as Emperor Michinomiya Hirohito of Japan, Benito Mussolini of Italy and Adolf Hitler in Germany plunged the world into the worst mayhem in human history.
It was these leaders that stirred aggressive nationalism, the love for national glory and hatred for minority groups that led to a disastrous war. Trump’s vision is not any different from that of these pre-World War II dictators.
After the second world war, Europe and America thought it wise to build institutions and consequently a new world order based on global cooperation that advances values of pluralism, rule of law, diplomatic settlement of disputes, respect for human rights and democracy.
The UN charter was promulgated as a constitution for global cooperation between states together with other instruments such as the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
To enhance cooperation, economic collaboration through enhanced trade between countries was introduced through institutions such as the World Trade Organization, IMF and the World Bank.
This cooperation is premised on the notion that all states have an interest in a world order that is peaceful and prosperous, and that achieving these objectives requires not only political cooperation, but also economic cooperation.
Through this world order, notwithstanding the principle of non-interference, the international community has an obligation to hold national governments accountable for their actions.
The voices of great powers such as America and Europe are usually louder when it comes to holding repressive governments accountable. Now that America is under the leadership of a man who has no concern for what happens elsewhere in the world, other players need to fill that gap.
Amidst that despair, West African bloc Ecowas’s role in the recent Gambia electoral crisis shows the way. After the refusal by a dictator to relinquish power having lost an election, Ecowas, through a blend of diplomacy and threat of military intervention, was able to peacefully solve a crisis without any bloodshed, and secure Gambians from an iron fist.
It was a lesson that Africa can solve its own problems without looking at the West for help. It was a wake-up call that Africa can determine its own destiny; that as the world order gets strained by accelerating forces and harmful ideologies, Africa can determine its own future through cooperation amongst African countries themselves.
To maintain this vision, other blocs and the African Union need to wake up and stand up for values of democracy, regional cooperation and increased free trade amongst African states.
Countries such as Ghana, South Africa, Ethiopia, Kenya and others that subscribe to the ideas of democracy need to hold themselves to their highest standards to offer an example to the rest.
This effort should be based on the mutual premise that democracy, freedom of individual citizens and pluralism breeds political stability in the whole region, which is the basis for economic progress; that political stability of other countries is the concern of every country and because instability of other countries affects neighboring countries in many ways, other countries have a stake in what happens in the internal affairs of sovereign states.
The author is a fourth-year student of law at Uganda Christian University.