Despite Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the outstanding International Criminal Court arrest warrant for Russian President Vladimir Putin, the UN secretary general attended the BRICS summit in Russia and “seemed happy to be filmed on arrival.” The BRICS alliance, whose gathered leaders represented almost half of humanity, has undoubtedly discovered a new confidence and momentum. Putin in particular senses the historic opportunity for the global South and East to counterbalance what he termed “the West’s perverse methods and approaches.”
Our adversaries are finding their stride at a time when the West is losing the moral argument and haemorrhaging credibility with each passing day. Before he leaves office, President Joe Biden can act swiftly to stem the bleeding by leveraging U.S. military aid to end the war in Gaza.
Global faith in the U.S.-led order was already shaken by Western foreign policy after 9/11, bookended by the unjustified invasion of Iraq in 2003 and the chaoticwithdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021, …