Multipolarity, an order still to be established
by Guy Mettan,* Geneva
(25 October 2023) Geneva readily positions itself as an international city, a humanitarian city, and a city of peace. Unfortunately, its commitment and tradition have been undermined since Switzerland decided, at the end of February 2022, to break its tradition of neutrality and move closer to NATO.
If we claim to promote peace and dialogue and avoid falling into the black and white trap set by the European and North American ruling elites, we should strive, whatever the responsibilities of each side, to cultivate and develop friendship between peoples and therefore with Russia, its people and its culture, particularly at a time when they find themselves much criticised on the European scene and in the Western world.
There is much at stake: the defense of civilisation, values, a high esteem of human culture, respect for the dignity and integrity of the human being, spirit, and spirituality, all such things being deeply undermined by the cult of money, immediate profit, self-proclaimed individual kingship, commoditised individuals considered as the measure of all things. Finally, it is about promoting and defending a new world order that is fairer, more equitable, more democratic, more respectful of the different civilisations being a part of it. In our minds, there is not one dominant civilisation and dominated civilisations, one hegemonic power and vassal powers, superior nations, and inferior nations. All human beings and all civilisations are equal in dignity.
In this respect, if you allow me, I would like to outline the following points.
In July, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization met in India and decided to incorporate Iran and Belarus. At the end of August, the BRICS meeting in Johannesburg ended with the decision to expand the group of five founding members to eleven members with six new countries. At the beginning of September, the G20 meeting in New Delhi ended with a joint declaration which reinforced the point of view of the southern countries and refused to condemn Russia as requested by Western countries. In October, a major summit of the New Silk Roads Initiative will take place in Beijing (BRI Forum) in the presence of dozens of countries and heads of state.
Of course, we could have wished for more, faster growth, more active de-dollarisation, a more clear-cut political vision, an even more ambitious timetable in terms of building a more balanced world order. But, as witnessed by these various meetings, progress is clear, and it is better to move slowly but surely than to talk big with no future.
Because we should have no illusions, the West will not stand by and watch without reacting. It will do everything in its power to torpedo the construction of a truly multipolar world, in trying to divide and rule, as it did so well until now. Never in the history of humanity did a dominant or hegemonic power share its might without a fight, rather than in a spirit of charity.
This is why I think it is essential for supporters of a multipolar world order to improve the economic and political integration of Asian and South Asian countries on the one hand, and the attractiveness of this process on the other.
When it comes to soft power, the West is still unbeatable. It masters both the contents, the networks and the communication media to ensure its narrative gets a greater audience than that of other countries in the world. It is well-versed in propaganda techniques and disseminating its message. It has the advantage of speaking with one voice, from Japan to Canada, from Australia to the United States, including Europe of course.
This unity is its strength because no member of the BRICS, however powerful it may be, is capable on its own to compete with the West on the international scene and in the organisations that matter.
On the other hand, when the Global South is united and works towards a common goal, namely to reform global governance, build a more equitable world order and better distribute wealth, its power of conviction and attraction is more powerful than that of the West. We saw this with the ability of the BRICS to attract new members while the G7 falls back on its achievements and its own status quo.
If we want to improve the soft power of the multipolar order, it is therefore essential to detach ourselves from particular interests, from the national visions specific to this or that member, and to work on what unites, define common objectives, based on values and principles of equity, mutual respect, power sharing, equality of civilisations on which the multipolar conception of the world is based on.
It is in this spirit that we, alongside a group of friends have proposed to diplomats, academic experts and other sympathisers of the multipolar cause, Russians, and friendly countries, to set up a “Multipolar Institute” in Geneva, a think tank addressing multipolarity. It aims at stimulating and disseminating the concept of multipolarity and multipolar thinking within international organisations and NGOs meant to defend multilateralism and represent the international community. At the diplomatic level, there is already a “Group of Friends for the Defense of the Charter of the United Nations”, which brings together 22 countries and is currently chaired by the Ambassador of Venezuela, and whose aim is to promote true multilateralism, with respect for each nation constituting the United Nations. The ground is therefore favourable for the creation of a more active reflection structure capable of putting forward ideas and making concrete proposals to advance, mutually, the multipolar cause.