Rachel Maguire
Cracks are beginning to show in the Western alliance. Could the recent actions of the US Government spell the beginning of the end?
Following the US withdrawal from Afghanistan and the development of the AUKUS pact – a new security pact between the UK, US, and Australia – NATO and other US allies have been left feeling dismayed and betrayed, prompting a rethink over the nature of their alliance.
Despite America’s departure, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said that NATO and its allies are still committed to Afghanistan despite the U.S. exit. This perhaps signals a shift from a US led NATO policy.
NATO has not been alone in delivering robust criticism, the European Union’s chief diplomat Josep Borrell said “This has been above all a catastrophe for the Afghan people. It’s a failure of the Western world and it’s a game changer for international relations,”
It seemed that strong critique was expressed over America’s actions in Afghanistan from politicians and officials everywhere, except the UK.
In the UK, Boris Johnson has been unable to make any firm comments against the actions of the US Government for fear of ruining the “special relationship”. Which is only further compounded by his actions with the EU over the complicated trade union negotiations regarding Northern Ireland post Brexit.
Rather, he claims that Britain could not have stayed in Afghanistan “without American might.” This reluctance to criticise the United States’ withdrawal means Johnson has missed an opportunity to rebuild the bridges he burnt over Brexit and construct a more mutually beneficial relationship with the US.
Indeed, this is exactly how it appears with the UK following the US out of Afghanistan and into a new alliance with Australia. All the while going along with Biden’s stance of incommunicado with any of the other governments or alliances that might be affected.
Instead, this “special relationship” between the two countries means that the UK is going along with another display of “American might”, with the recent construction of the controversial AUKUS pact.
Johnson knows that the UK will need a relationship with the US if it is to survive the aftermath of Brexit.
But, the involvement of the UK playing such a key part in America’s Indo-Pacific strategy, makes one wonder just how much Johnson has promised the US in exchange for being such a key player.
Particularly as Johnson’s decision has been to the further detriment of relationships between the UK and other EU countries. America and Britain’s “special relationship” doesn’t seem to be that co-operative.
Beyond the crises in Afghanistan, Biden’s government seems to be continuing the “America First” rhetoric made popular by Trump. With unilateral acts such as the hoarding of covid vaccines and now the AUKUS pact, Washington severely risks undermining the various alliances that America has built with the West.
The grievances expressed by NATO over Afghanistan and AUKUS are understandable. Given the rhetoric with which Biden began his Presidency, the sense of betrayal felt by US allies is palpable.
Cast your mind back to January this year where Biden, in his inauguration speech, sounded as if he was making a promise to end the “America First” approach to foreign policy.To do away with the inward-looking rhetoric related to Trump’s presidency and reverse the withdrawal from world cooperation (such as the Paris Climate Accord) that Trump’s administration embodied.
The world seemed to collectively sigh with relief.
However, Trump did not invent the term “America First”, however much he would like us to believe that is the case. “America First” is a US doctrine with origins that stretch back over a century with President Woodrow Wilson using the term as an anti-war isolationist slogan to manoeuvre America out of enlisting into WWI.
Around the 1930s, the term then shifted from an isolationist slogan to an explicitly nativist and white nationalist slogan. The term has also been associated with anti – Semitism, the US doing business with the Nazi’s in WWII and their reluctance to join Europe’s fight against fascism.
Now, it looks as if Biden’s government is only the most recent construction of this notion of putting America first regardless of the wider consequences.
During the Cold War, forming an alliance with Western Europe was necessary in order to defend themselves from possible invasion by the Soviet Union and it meant that the ideals behind “America First ” took a backseat as NATO was constructed.
In the past, the economic and military might of the US has meant that they commanded most of the decision-making power and responsibility within NATO and amongst other intergovernmental alliances. Other Western countries had little choice but to stand with the US. Now, because of America’s actions in recent months, NATO allies and EU leaders are reflecting on the nature of their ties to the US.
If Britain, the EU and the US choose to learn from their mistakes in Afghanistan and truly work together, a more effective alliance may be possible.
Only time will tell if the Western alliance will survive beyond the US withdrawal from Afghanistan and creation of AUKUS, especially as Washington failed to properly consult with its allies before enacting both policies.
However, if we can be sure of anything, it is that self-interested geo-political alliances and inward-looking foreign policy does nothing to achieve true peaceful cooperation. In fact, it can make matters worse. The Six Day War is an example of this with its effects still being felt in the Middle East today.
Alliances are supposed to de-escalate conflict and strengthen and support better living conditions and outcomes. We have all recently seen what can happen when intergovernmental alliances act on self-interest and fail to consider the impact of their actions. Currently, the civilians in Afghanistan are the ones that feel this impact the most.
Featured image courtesy of Raúl Nájera via Unsplash. Image license can be found here. No changes have been made to this image.
Rachel Maguire
Rachel is a Communications Consultant based in London. She holds degree in Community Development & Public Policy and a degree in Youth Work. She is passionate about changing the narrative of development work and political participation and is on the Executive Committee of Fabian Women's Network.