Tag: USA

World Globalization

Every year, Heads of State and/or their representatives (for example, Foreign Affairs Ministers) travel to the headquarters of the General Assembly of the United Nations (UN) for the opening of its annual session. Besides high-level meetings and events, the week includes the General Debate, where all 193 countries integrating the UN have the opportunity to make a speech to the General Assembly.

In the UN General Assembly all countries are equal and each represents one vote. Of the 193 countries, 130 (67%) were colonized by European countries. Of these 130 countries, 45% (58 countries) were colonized by the United Kingdom (UK) and 18% (24 countries) by France. The other 48 countries were colonized by both, by other countries, or by more than one other country. To be noted that the UK and France are 2 of the 5 permanent members of the UN Security Council and have the right of veto.

The General Debate speeches this year clearly shows a division between the countries:

      Group 1: Those justifying some kind of war and stating that the UN is going through an existential crisis.

      Group 2: Those defending peace (ending all conflicts through diplomacy) and thankful for the work of the UN, which have been helping their countries overcome their struggles and challenges (mainly related to climate change and the improvement of their population’s living conditions). They are fierce defenders of the UN, stating, however, that the seats at the table are unevenly distributed.

Colonization is still an open wound. Ex-colonies have many complaints regarding ex-colonizers, of interference in their sovereignty and financial aid that keeps them in poverty. However, these countries, that fought and successfully achieved their independence, are not giving up. They are finding ways (most of them as alternatives to those provided by the Western countries) to solve their problems. Organizations aiming at international collaboration are being established between them and funding in alternating channels is being sought for their innovative projects.

The United States of America (USA) is leading Group 1. In his speech, which lasted for 56 minutes, the President of the USA stressed the need for protectionism, threats, and war (both domestically and internationally). No country was spared: all of them were on a wrong path, according to him, especially in what climate change was concerned. He also stated that the UN was useless.

China, leading Group 2, made a point to contradict the USA’s statement. In 20 minutes, the Premier of the State Council of China advocated for peace, international cooperation, and the need to fight climate change. Although recognizing that the UN is in need of a reform, especially to distribute more seats to non-Western countries at the table, he reinforced how important the role of the UN is to the world. He also showed that alternatives to the Western rules and initiatives are being developed. In sheer contrast to the USA’s statement, China summarized their achievements on the path to peace, international cooperation, and fight against climate change. The Premier of the State Council said:

As a founding member of the UN, China has all along taken an active part in Global Affairs and worked for the betterment of humanity. Over the years, President Xi Jinping has put forward the vision of building a community with a shared future for humanity: the Global Development Initiative, the Global Security Initiative, the Global Civilizacional Initiative, and the Global Governance Initiative.

The fact that Heads of State from 193 countries can make a speech at the same podium shows that the UN is a place where everyone can have a voice. Whether that voice is heard or not by the other countries is another matter. Countries from Group 1 do not listen to anything but their own voices whereas countries from Group 2 pay attention to everything everyone is saying… and they learn. Interestingly, the UN principles were set by the countries of Group 1, but they are followed and advocated by the countries of Group 2. Countries from Group 1 vowed never again to go down the very same path they are walking on now. And countries from Group 2 are warning them to leave that path and go back.

As it was repeated abundantly in the General Debate, this year marks the 80th year of the end of World War II and the establishment of the UN Charter. German Nazism and Italian fascism were defeated by France, Russia (then Soviet Union), the UK, and the USA in Europe (with repercussions to the rest of the world due to the colonies) and Japanese fascism was defeated by China in Asia (with repercussions to neighbouring countries). These victorious countries are the permanent members of the UN Security Council with the right to veto and the ones that created the UN Charter and defined the rules for its implementation and operation.

Since then, many countries were divided into more countries and many colonies gained their independence. In 1945, of the 193 current UN countries, 91 countries (47%) were still under the sovereignty of one or more founding members as colonies, protectorates or under a UN trusteeship. These countries have a total of 30,556,569 km2 of surface area, which correspond to 23% of the total surface area of all 193 UN countries (which is 133,663,404 km2).

Of these 91 countries, 67 countries (74%) were under the direct administration of the UK (45 countries, 49%) and France (22 countries, 24%). The other 24 countries (26%) were under the administration of the UK together with France and/or other countries, the USA (3 countries), or the direct administration of other countries. On the other hand, when the Soviet Union collapsed, 12 countries (6% of the total of the current UN countries) gained their independence. As the Russian Federation was the “heir” of what was left from the Soviet Union, in a way these 12 countries were under Russian administration. This means that 82 countries out of the current 193 countries were, in 1945, integrated in 4 (out of 5) of the permanent members of the UN Security Council. It corresponds to a total of 22,671,758 km2 of surface area, 17% of the total surface area of the 193 current UN countries

As we can see, the world has changed. Or, better yet, the political world has changed. Nature is still the same, resources are still in the same place. Yet, those precious resources have changed hands. Until 1945, the world was divided between those that would provide the resources (the colonies) and those that would transform the resources and get wealthier and wealthier. Now that the ex-colonies are independent, they are looking to learn how to transform their own resources and create wealth. And the wealthier countries are losing ground.

Of the 49 remaining UN founding countries (Czechoslovakia and Yugoslavia gave rise to new countries), 22 countries are from America (45%), 12 countries are from Europe (25%), 9 countries are from Asia (18%), 4 countries are from Africa (8%), and 2 countries are from Oceania (4%). Now, in 2025, 54 countries are from Africa (28%), 47 countries are from Asia (24%), 43 countries are from Europe (22%), 35 countries are from America (18%), and 14 countries (7%) are from Oceania. It is obvious that the weight of African countries has shifted. Actually, the weight of African countries in the UN grew from 4 countries to 54 countries, which corresponds to a 1150% increase in representation. Oceania is the second continent with the greatest increase: from only 2 countries to 14 countries, it had a 600% increase in representation. Asia increased 422% and Europe increased 258%. America was the continent with the smallest increase: 59%.

Due to the loss of their colonies, the UK and France have considerably shrunk their territory and influence in the world. Their surface area is 242,495 km2 (UK) and 551,500 (France), which corresponds to 0.2% and 0.4%, respectively, of the total surface areas of all 193 UN countries. On the other hand, Russian Federation is still the largest country in the world (17,098,246 km2 of surface area, which corresponds to 13% of the total surface areas of all 193 UN countries), even after the collapse of the Soviet Union, and it remains an important player in world politics. The USA is the third largest country in the world (with 9,833,517 km2, which corresponds to 7% of the total surface areas of all 193 UN countries) while China is the fourth (with 9,600,000 km2, which corresponds to 7% of the total surface areas of all 193 UN countries).

Therefore, the 5 permanent members of the UN Security Council (those with the right to veto) have together a surface area of 37,325,758 km2, corresponding to 28% of the total surface areas of all 193 UN countries. African countries have a total of 30,023,968 km2 (22%). If the surface areas of Oceania countries (a sum of 8,488,032km2, corresponding to 6% of the total) are added, then these two continents surpass the 5 permanent members of the Security Council because they have 29% of the total.

Europe includes the Russian Federation in its statistics. However, and considering that most of Russian territory is in fact located in Asia (Siberia), if we take out Russian surface area from Europe’s, the sum of the surface area of all other countries is 5,886,912 km2, corresponding to 4% of the total surface areas of all 193 UN countries. European countries, especially the UK and France, which used to rule the world, are now facing their real dimension. It is scary and it is no wonder they are trying their best to remain relevant. Unfortunately, their continued arrogance is not doing them any favors. In the meanwhile, the USA is relying on their wealth and military power to keep its hegemony, but the Russian Federation and, especially, China have already understood the figures. And the figures are saying that African countries, together with the islands in the Pacific, all the countries south of the USA, and China’s Asian neighbours are rising. Independence was just the first step. Now, they are climbing the other steps, regardless of having the support or the opposition of their former masters.

 
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The finalists of the Earthshot Prize 2025 have been announced. Founded in 2020, the Earthshot Prize aims to finance every year the best initiatives that effectively help tackle climate change and environment issues. It’s truly remarkable how many people are working to make the planet a better place for all of us to live in.

 
Check the website daily to read the highlight of the day.
 


 

Best of “Foreign Lands”

Dear Readers,

After renewing its website, “Words in Ideas” is preparing its 3rd year of fresh new articles, starting in October. While you wait, you can read (or re-read) the best articles under the category “Foreign Lands”. These articles aim to compare languages and cultures.

 

 
During the first year, articles described some traditional food around the world. Here are the 5 best:

 

 
In the 2nd year, we followed the discoveries of a group of language learners. Here are the 5 best:

 

 
This 3rd year, “Words in Ideas” will discuss some cultural crossroads.

 
If you wish to comment or send suggestions, please fill in the form at the end of each website page.

Thank you!
Words in Ideas
https://wordsinideas.com/
 

World domination

Thucydides is considered the “father” of history because of his book “The History of the Peloponnesian War”, which he wrote in the 5th century. Besides describing the war itself, in which he was an active participant, he also describes the context and behind-the-scenes political manoeuvres, portraits both sides of the conflict, and makes other considerations. The book is not finished, but the story of this war is known. In a nutshell, the Peloponnesian War was a conflict between a declining power (Sparta, home of the famous 300) and an emerging power (Athens). They were both fighting for world domination, which, in this case, was Greece.

Graham Allison studied Thucydides’ book and compared what was written there with other similar conflicts. Then, he coined the term “Thucydides’ Trap” to explain the phenomenon theoretically (which is to say, academically). His goal was to understand how the rising of China could impact the world and lead to a war with the USA. The conclusions were presented in two TED Talks: one in 2018 and the other in 2021. Graham Allison was born in the USA, thus, a national of the current challenged world power, but he has been working with Chinese academics to develop the concept and apply it.

The question Graham Allison posed was: is war inevitable in the fight for world domination? And the answer is: no. Looking at the last 500 years, he concluded that 4 out of 16 confrontations of this kind did not end in war. Will this be the case between the USA and China? Nobody knows. The USA seems to want the war, but China does not. The USA does not want to lose their dominant position in the world, but will they manage it? The truth is: no empire ever survived. They all ended at some point.

Maybe the most original solution to avoid war was the one found between the Kingdom of Portugal (the declining power) and the Kingdom of Spain (the rising power) in the 15th century. The Age of Discovery had been initiated by the Portuguese at the beginning of the 15th century and the Spaniards soon followed them. Both Kingdoms were competing for routes and even for captains to lead expeditions to what would come to be “the new world”. After tough diplomatic negotiations, the Treaty of Tordesillas was signed in 1494. It basically divided the whole world into two parts. This was only applied to “newly found” lands (basically, everywhere outside Europe). Obviously, native people were not consulted and the other European powers soon would contest this bilateral agreement.

The line separating the world was established based on the map of the known world. For example, Brazil had not been “discovered” yet and “luckily” fell under Portuguese domain (some say the Portuguese knew about it before signing the Treaty). Before the Age of Discovery, the known world for Europeans was basically Europe and North Africa, which was what Romans tried to dominate. Beyond that, “there would be dragons”. “Here be dragons” is an expression it is believed was written on old maps to indicate a land that was unexplored and unknown. Little evidence of the veracity of this exists, but what is certain is that maps would often include images of monsters to mark uncharted places.

Usually, domination of the world means a State taking land from the known territories around its initial borders. The image we see in films of one evil mastermind, plotting ways to rule us all and surrounded by loyal followers who do whatever he/she commands, is very far from the truth. However, one man did it. Alexander, the Great, was a restless man who wanted to explore (and govern) all land. He started in Macedonia, passed Greece and Turkey and went down to Egypt. Then, he came back up, and continued through Iraq until he reached India. There, he wanted to keep going, but his army said enough. Climate and geographic conditions made the progression too painful.

Geography matters for matters of world domination, as world leaders (past and current) are well aware. The Chinese general Sun Tzu wrote in his book “The Art of War” how geography, climate, and demographics must be taken into consideration for a successful win in each battle. Invasions, for example, are easier in flatlands (like those in Ukraine) than if one has to overcome a mountain rage (Iran is surrounded by mountains). That is what Tim Marshall explains in his books about geopolitics: “Prisoners of Geography” and “The Power of Geography”.

Let’s take a look at the case of Russia, mentioned by Tim Marshall in the first book. The Rus people initially settled around Kiev and the Dnipro River, but, after being invaded by the Mongols from the south and the east, moved their capital to Moscow. As their land had been founded on a plain, it was highly vulnerable to other invasions (which happened several times for centuries). They realized that the best option was to expand their territory. This is called “strategic depth”: the longer the enemy would have to “walk” from the border to the capital, the further away their supply lines are and the more defensive lines they would have to overcome. This was a lesson that Napoleon’s French army and Hitler’s German army learned the hard way when they decided to invade Russia. Not only did they have to “walk” a very long distance, they also had to deal with the weather, especially snow or mud. This was the “west front”. In the meantime, to avoid invasions from the east and the south, the Russians conquered the Siberia region, thus eliminating the Mongols’ threat (or any other threat from that part of the world). In the north, there was the Arctic, so nothing to worry about (yet). Russia may not rule the world, but it is currently the biggest country in the world and definitely has a huge influence on East Europe and Asia.

Just as Portugal and Spain divided the world in two, so Russia (then the Soviet Union, integrating many other countries nearby) and the USA also divided their influence in two throughout the world. If there was a conflict, the Soviet Union would support one side and the USA would support the other side. When in peace, the countries would be an ally whether to one great power or to the other. Therefore, each great power dominated half the world.

The Cold War was prolific in books, films, and TV series (back then and nowadays still) about State espionage, world domination, end of the world, or the hero who saves the world of total destruction at the last minute. The films of James Bond were (and are) probably the most famous and had all of these ingredients. They were based on the books of Ian Fleming, a former MI6 secret agent who was in active duty during World War II. Based on himself and his work, he wrote 12 novels and 2 short stories where James Bond is the lone hero who fights against the evil organization SPECTRE. Started as a relatively small terrorist organization, at some point the goal became to dominate the world. Obviously, it was defeated by… James Bond!

Then, the Soviet Union fell and the USA became the indisputable ruler of the world… Indisputable? Well, not so fast. There have been many countries wishing to overthrow it. As all Empires before it, the USA Empire is supported by a mighty military force, which imposes the country’s will everywhere, crushing those who stand in their way. Yet, there are still people (or States) daring to defy them.

We can see a shift in books, films, and TV series. Now, the “bad guys” are no longer Russians. Now, they are Arabic and Chinese. The focus has changed as well. We see more terrorist attacks, sabotage acts, and, especially, cyber threats. Contrary to what happened in the Cold War, there is no need to have human spies in the enemy country. Everything goes online and the “new spies” do not need to leave their home. Today, world domination is cyber dominance and warfare is “hybrid warfare”. Most of the time, “normal” people do not see it at all and the perpetrators can easily deny their wrongdoings. The war that is actually “seen” is mainly made with drones, which can be remotely controlled. So, nowadays, it is not enough to have a mighty military force and physically invade the surrounding territories. Besides an Army to dominate the land, you need a Navy to dominate the seas, an Air Force to dominate airspace… and an excellent cybersecurity department to dominate the virtual world.

China has understood this a long time ago. It has not only heavily invested in technology, but also in the military forces. Their focus is on trade, establishing partnerships with countries from every continent. President Xi Jinping has repeatedly said that China does not want to dominate the world, China wants a multipolar world living in peace and where countries can work together for the benefit of humankind. Naturally, China is making great profits from their trading deals… Since 1978, when they decided to open the country to international trade, China’s economic and social evolution has left the world in astonishment. It is still a communist country, but it has learned how to play the capitalist rules for their own benefit. Little by little, they have been gaining ground in other countries’ economies, like ninjas. No one saw them coming. Or, better yet, they did see them, but they thought they would submit to the ruling power. They did not.

President Donald Trump, who took office in January this year, has declared a (trade) war with China. Not so explicitly, but that is his goal. He is cleaning all other matters to focus on this particular subject. Graham Allison often quotes Thucydides on this: “It was the rise of Athens and the fear that this instilled in Sparta that made war inevitable”. Is the USA afraid of the rise of China? If you ask them, they would answer “no, the USA is afraid of nothing and no one”. But still, they want to bring down China just in case they might think they can overthrow the USA as the world master. China has been preparing itself for this combat for many years and the odds, as we can conclude from history, are against the USA.