The Troubles of Being a Hegemon

The Bush administration’s troubles in the Middle East and at home show no sign of diminishing. More and more Americans are coming forward to call the US policy in Iraq a total disaster. Their remedy is immediate withdrawal from Iraq. But there is more to US troubles than the mismanagement of an unjustified war. After much fanfare, the Bush administration’s “new  strategy on Iraq” turned out to be similar to shooting in the dark hoping that some shots will hit their target. Sending more troops to Iraq without pressuring the Maliki government to stop sectarian violence was received with more suspicion than ever.

Many Iraqis believe more American troops will lead to more attacks and violence. So far, the calls for engaging Iran and Syria to stabilize Iraq fell on deaf ears at the White House. While everyone is fixated on Iraq because of the appalling number of deaths everyday, Afghanistan is boiling. The war of words between the Afghani and Pakistani presidents is indicative of deeper troubles. There is now a broad consensus that Americans should leave Iraq sooner than later. And prepare for the consequences of doing so. Most recently, Nicholas Kristof (New York Times, Feb.13) joined David Ignatius (Washington Post, Feb. 8) in calling for a swift withdrawal from Iraq. There seems to be no way out of the quagmire that the Bush administration finds itself in Iraq. The assumption that an immediate US withdrawal will lead to chaos and violence appears to be more open to question. According to some news reports, most Iraqis see a US withdrawal as a step towards the cessation, not escalation, of violence. Once the American troops leave, the insurgents, they argue, will have little excuse to fight. As for the sectarian violence between Sunnis and Shiites, the Iraqis themselves will have to find a way to somehow stop it. The growing sentiment in both Iraq and the US is that it is time for the Americans to leave. There is no doubt that more mistakes in Iraq will not only lead to more violence in Baghdad and beyond, but more instability in the region, with disastrous consequences for Turkey, Iran and other Arab countries. As the Turkish Foreign Minister Abdullah Gül made clear in his visit to the US last week, Turkey will not sit and wait forever for Americans to pretend to do something about the PKK camps in Northern Iraq. (The Armenian genocide bill will make things absolutely worse). Iran will not tolerate any more bullying from Washington and, if cornered, is ready to use its capacity to mobilize its Shiite friends to make things far more difficult for Americans. Arab countries are already tired of American mistakes in the region and will not keep silent for much longer. Putin’s recent visit to the Middle East and especially Saudi Arabia (and the King’s projected visit to Moscow) speaks volumes about the search for new alliances and balances of power, even among America’s usually compliant allies in the region. The problem, however, is not specific policies towards Iran or Iraq but one of hegemonic power. As the only superpower of a unipolar world order, the US can no longer pretend that we live in a multi-polar world while acting like it is ruling the world. The Cold War was a convenient global order for the US since it provided every excuse to amass unlimited power and use it as it willed. The fundamental mistake of the neo-cons and those who attribute a semi-divine mission and thus legitimacy to American power, is their failure to admit the problems of being a hegemonic power. A hegemony that defines the rules of the games and changes them as it sees fit is no one’s friend. In this sense, a possible change in the White House in 2008 will not mean much unless a change of minds and hearts takes place. A global politics driven by the endless fantasies of being the only hegemonic power (and remaining that way) will not bring peace and stability to anyone. A global balance of power based on justice and equality for all is the only way American p