The global system, dominated by financial capitalism, is foundering. Continuing to adhere passionately to arrogant autocratic concepts such as "American Exceptionalism" and "Nation Building," the United States is developing strategies to reshape the world in its own image.
The U.S. has designated “China” as its worthy adversary or enemy in the 21st century. During the old Cold War, the enemy was the Soviet Union. China is now at the other end of the new Cold War orchestrated by the U.S.
New strategies, concepts, ideologies are being invented to frame this new Cold War. It includes economic-technological rivalry with China, and divides the world into techno-democracies and techno-autocracies.
According to this thesis, techno-autocracies led by China are on one side, and U.S.-led techno-democracies are on the other. The U.S. is looking for ways to establish an alliance of techno-democracies against techno-autocracies. This is a new version of the "Free World-Iron Curtain" distinction in the old Cold War.
Jared Cohen and Richard Fontaine were the first in the U.S. to bring up the issue of the "techno-democracies alliance." Cohen was the first director of "Google Ideas,” and Fontaine serves as the CEO of the Center for New American Security (CNAS).
Cohen and Fontaine jointly published an article titled "Uniting the Techno-Democracies: How to Build Digital Cooperation" in the November-December 2020 issue of Foreign Affairs magazine, which is published by the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR).
According to the article in question, China has surpassed the U.S. in new generation technologies such as "Artificial Intelligence" and "5G", while Cuba, Iran, North Korea, Russia, Venezuela and a number of other countries are following in Beijing’s footsteps and using technology for “illiberal” purposes. Of course, the authors did not neglect to place India and Israel on the "techno-Democracies" front.
CNAS plays a leading role in labeling the technological power play between China and America as a war of “techno-democracies” and “techno-autocracies.”
CNAS’s Ilan Goldenberg and Martijn Rasser penned an article titled “What Would a U.S.-Led Global Technology Alliance Look Like?” for The Diplomat magazine, which focuses on political developments in the Indo-Pacific region.
Likewise, Washington Post journalist David Ignatius also jumped on the bandwagon with his article titled “Biden’s ambitious plan to push back against techno-autocracies.” Many American authors have put pen to paper about this very issue. The central idea of all these articles is to halt the rise of China and maintain America’s role as the "global hegemon."
The U.S. is preparing to lump together all countries that object to its global hegemon role under the label of “techno-autocracies.” In other words, a new entrenchment is being arbitrarily imposed on humanity: “You’re either with us or against us.” The aim of this arrangement, which is based on the confrontation between techno-democracies and techno-autocracies, is to put the U.S. back into the driver’s seat at the global table. Yet, leaving humanity with no third option is ironically authoritarian.
The U.S. pours $3.8 billion annually to Israel, which is run by a racist apartheid regime, and $1.3 billion to Egypt, which is ruled by a military dictatorship.
In India, the Modi administration has zero regard for the lives of Muslims and other minorities. Meanwhile, Gaza has become an open-air prison.
A few days ago, 12 civilian leaders were sentenced to death by the Sisi regime. The support provided by the U.S. to the autocratic regimes in the Middle East turns into ruthless sticks against the people. Thousands of civilians in Yemen lost their lives with American-made weapons and bombs. The United States must not turn a blind eye to the suffering it inflicted on these people.
American embargoes target civilians indiscriminately, turning their daily lives into purgatory. Embargoes that prevent access to basic human needs are a systematic violation of human rights.
Tens of thousands of children lost their lives in Iraq due to the embargo imposed during the Saddam era because they did not have access to healthy food. Likewise, access to the syringes needed for the Covid-19 vaccine in Cuba is restricted due to a U.S. embargo.
Since 1991, the UN has been calling annually on the U.S. to lift the embargo on Cuba. All other members vote against the embargo with the exception of the U.S. and Israel.
A total of 184 countries voted against the embargo on June 23. The United States and Israel again were the only countries to vote in favor of it. Is this a techno-democracy?
