The rupturing of silent complicity

When complicity is no longer as profitable, and proves to be an exercise in vanity, the old order ruptures from within.

 

From Dr Amir Faizal Abdul Manan

It seems that the world, the way we know it, is coming to an end, slain by the wannabe emperor.

While many lament the fading of the international rules-based order, others are questioning if the international rules were there to begin with: time and time again the powerful, and their allies, have been conveniently exempted.

Where was the outrage when western powers orchestrated a coup that overthrew the elected government of Mohammad Mossadegh to protect British oil interests in Iran?

Where was the international furore when leaders overseas were assassinated and kidnapped by states behaving like mobsters?

Where were the sanctions when intelligence failure had led to the wrongful military invasion and destruction of another country?

It is rather ironic to talk about the imminent threat to international rules when there is an entire people today that are still subjected to occupation and oppression for decades in what many independent observers and non-governmental organisations refer to as an open prison.

Where is the “international police power” – a term coined by president Franklin D Roosevelt to justify US military interventions abroad – when the oppressed watch helplessly as their entire homes, families, and communities get annihilated right in front of their eyes, all the while being denied basic access to food, water, and medicine.

It seems that rules are being applied asymmetrically and with varying rigidity depending on who is the accused and who is being harmed.

We seem to forget the powerful adage by Martin Luther King Jr, “injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere”.

The truth is, a lot of the so-called defenders of democracy have been spineless: blind, muted, and apathetic. Many choose to be silent against the bullying by the powerful until they themselves were subjected to the same bullying tactics.

Would the global rupture that is unfolding today – one that Canadian prime minister Mark Carney was referring to – still happen had they not been the target themselves?

Recent events, unfortunate as they may seem, might just be a wake-up call that is long overdue.

The reality is, and to paraphrase Carney, many simply go along to get along, living within a lie, just not to ruffle any feathers and draw unnecessary attention.

Of course, diplomacy over discord is often the preferred philosophy. But this here seems like diplomacy at the expense of dignity and decency.

Perhaps it is true, after all, that in the old world, complicity is profitable.

In any case, feathers are being ruffled today. The lie that has held the system together for so long, and at times breathtaking in its audacity, is rupturing from within.

When long-time allies no longer receive special treatment, no longer privileged over rivals, and when international rules are being broken at whims and fancy, and states behave like international mobsters, then it is clear that the once-sacred alliance must be broken – and indeed it can be broken.

When complicity is no longer as profitable, and proves to be an exercise in vanity, the old order ruptures from within.

We are at a critical juncture that will go down in history books of the future. The speech by Carney at Davos on the role of middle powers amid the global rupture has been touted as one of the defining moments of modern day.

No one really knows if it is and perhaps we will only find out with time. But for the new world order to work, one that Carney is calling for, it must be truly global, more inclusive, and more equitable – and it must be governed by the collective and not by the few, lest we risk similar abuses and misuses as seen repeatedly before.

We can only hope more will take heed of Carney’s call “to combine to create the third path” and choose to be on the right side of history.

Because one day – and to paraphrase the author and journalist Omar El Akkad – when the new order emerges, when it is no longer threatening to speak up against injustice, and when there is no more personal downside to standing up for what’s right, everyone will have always been against this. - FMT

Dr Amir Faizal Abdul Manan is a scientist and an FMT reader.

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