From ‘Clash of Civilisations’ to the ‘Crash of Civilisation’

The world is gravitating away from the Western sphere of influence towards BRICS and other regional alliances with shared objectives.

From Raja Kamarul Bahrin Shah

The recent series of talks by former British MP George Galloway drew very large audiences due to his strong personality and extensive political experience, especially regarding the Middle East and the global political landscape.

His close friendship with the late Yasser Arafat of the Palestine Liberation Organization, coupled with his deep understanding of Palestine, gives Galloway firsthand, in-depth knowledge of the region.

Galloway’s beliefs and associations have made Israel and its Western allies view him as a figure to be wary of.

He recounted his harrowing experience at the hands of British authorities at Gatwick Airport, where he and his wife were interrogated for some 10 hours.

He was denied the right to remain silent and threatened with charges if he refused to answer any questions. His wife was questioned about why she had painted her fingernails in the colors of the Palestinian flag.

He also cited the case of a 90-year-old woman who was arrested for holding a placard displaying the words “Palestinian Authority”, facing the possibility of a 12-year jail sentence.

This is the Britain on which we modelled our civil law and Malaysian Parliament, believing it represented just and fair laws for all citizens. Yet, strong Zionist influence has certainly left its mark on British society today.

While Britain suppresses the views of its own citizens in support of Palestine, the US has cracked down hard on its citizens under the guise of enforcing immigration laws, the latest casualty being a 37-year-old mother of three who was shot three times at point-blank range while driving away from ICE officers.

Authoritarian tendencies predominate in both of these so-called liberal Western nations. The US exports its aggressive policies abroad, including the kidnapping of Venezuela’s president, threatening Cuba and Colombia, and now targeting Iran due to internal unrest caused in large part by long-term US sanctions.

The West, led by the US and Britain, has long lost its moral high ground and relevance, undermining its ability to lecture the rest of the world, including the Far East, Middle East, Africa and South America.

The rest of the world is rapidly moving toward BRICS and other regional alliances, economically distancing itself from the Western-dominated sphere of influence.

After losing its economic dominance and moral authority, the West is floundering in chaotic anarchy, desperately seeking relevance in this new multipolar world.

The old scenario of Samuel Huntington’s “Clash of Civilisations” is over. It is now the emerging age of the “Crash of Civilisation” in Western nations. This manifests as dangerous, desperate actions, exemplified by the US’s aggressive moves toward its South American neighbours and the Middle East, and even its targeting of Nato allies such as its ambitions in Greenland.

In the midst of this “Crash of Civilisation”, we are witnessing a “New World Disorder” led by the desperate and floundering nations of the US and Britain.

These nations show total disregard for international law, ignoring the rulings of the International Court of Justice, while the United Nations has been largely sidelined.

The world is gravitating away from the Western sphere of influence towards BRICS and other regional alliances with shared objectives. Africa is seeing Burkina Faso lead the way for a new, independent continent; Muslim nations witness the emergence of a Turkey-Saudi Arabia-Pakistan axis; while China and Russia have formed economic groups for fairer trade, free from the threat of tariffs. Iran is no longer viewed as a global bogeyman, having resisted US and Israeli aggression while defending its sovereignty and dignity.

In these uncertain times, with China dominating the economic landscape and the West floundering, the sun is rising and shining more brightly in the East.

Malaysia must position itself appropriately within BRICS and Asean to avoid vulnerability to the bullying tactics of hegemonic Western powers, which are desperately struggling to remain relevant during this period of the impending “Crash of their Civilisation”. - FMT

Raja Kamarul Bahrin Shah is chairman of Amanah’s international bureau.

The views expressed are those of the writer and do not necessarily reflect those of MMKtT.