As a result of the resurgence of populist nationalism, authoritarian figures have appeared who, under the pretext of protecting the peoples, distrust international institutions and gradualist advances…
Henry Kissinger says in his memoirs: “In my youth I had the nerve to believe myself capable of pronouncing myself on the meaning of history. Now I know that the meaning of history is something we must discover, not proclaim. Everything is new and you have to interpret it.
We see that the unipolar world is disappearing, with the reduction of US hegemony. In three decades the United States will have a majority Hispanic population, which will make it a Latino country. The world regions are also becoming more important and Asia has become a determining area of the world economy. Europe, as a result of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, is consolidating and constitutes an equidistant center with other world powers. Russia surprises us. It is “a riddle, wrapped in a mystery within an enigma” as Winston Churchill ironically characterized it in 1939.
As a result of the resurgence of populist nationalism, authoritarian figures have appeared who, under the pretext of protecting the people, mistrust international institutions and gradualist advances. They are not few: Narendra Modi, in India; Rodrigo Duterte, in the Philippines; Recep Tayip Erdogan, in Turkey; Jair Bolsonaro, in Brazil; Viktor Orban, in Hungary; Boris Johnson, in the United Kingdom; Nayib Bukele, in El Salvador; Daniel Ortega, in Nicaragua; Nicolás Maduro, in Venezuela; Donald Trump, in the US; Vladimir Putin, in Russia. They concentrate political power without checks and balances and ignore human rights. They contribute to a vulnerable global world.
The strength of these characters in their countries contrasts with the weakness of the opposition parties and their leaders, which poses an imbalance and notable disadvantages in political competition and democratic deterioration.
In the current conflict between Russia and Ukraine, it has been seen that on the western side there are no political leaders of the caliber of Kissinger or Merkel, who can negotiate with Putin solutions that lead to pacification. The three leaders who have emerged with a positive role are President Xi Jinping of China, President Macron of France and Chancellor Scholz of Germany.
In a virtual Summit last week, President Xi said, “We must actively uphold a common, comprehensive, cooperative and sustainable security concept… China is willing to maintain coordination with France, Germany and the European Union and play an active role with the international community.
When Russia annexed Crimea in 2014, the European response was weak. And this empowered Putin to carry out a second blow. Now the sanctions of the West took place in the context of an economic and financial war on individuals and states, as an alternative to weapons.
The verbal excess of various leaders who thereby seek to legitimize themselves instead of offering solutions does not help the negotiation process.
The horror of the war has caused an exodus of more than 2 million people and it is estimated that it could reach 5 million, the highest migration since the Second World War. The European Union decided to give a special status to Ukrainians arriving in its member countries. This protection means employment, housing, health care and education.
Economist
Economy and Society
Writer and graduate in economics, graduated from the National Autonomous University of Mexico. From 1984 to 1990 he was the Mexican ambassador to the Kingdom of Denmark, where he was decorated with the Dannebrog order.