Despite all the pain and trauma that Africa, the Middle East, and Asia have gone through over the course of centuries due to European Colonialism, the Cold War, and the American unipolar moment, sustainable economic and social development for these regions of the world is still possible. As Mahatma Gandhi once said: “What is ahead of you and what is in your past is nothing compared to what is within you.” With that said, the key for Africa, the Middle East, and Asia is to understand that economic and social viability are directly connected to political independence and territorial sovereignty. By logic, economic and social viability follows from political independence and territorial sovereignty.
Once Africans, Middle Easterners, and Asians work collectively and together in the way of encompassing political independence and territorial sovereignty as their two primary objectives, they can defeat all five major transnational threats which affect them directly, namely, climate change, disease, poverty, ignorance, and violence. Overcoming these transnational threats through political independence and territorial sovereignty leads to economic and social viability. But as mentioned before, defeating these transnational threats and achieving economic and social viability can only follow from political independence and territorial sovereignty. Moreover, all five of these transnational threats are interconnected.
Also, sustainable economic and social development is a greater possibility in Africa, the Middle East, and Asia than in Anglo-America and Europe, given that the former group largely have the sociopolitical structures that are tailored towards sustainable socioeconomic development as opposed to Anglo-America and Europe, who often go through the cycle of mania and depression that is now common and widespread in the Western world. Afghanistan is a failure because it chose “modernity” and the chaos that comes with it as opposed to sustainable economic and social development which stems from a leadership apparatus that knows what its two main priorities should be, namely, political independence and territorial sovereignty. But Afghanistan’s leaders have no respect for their country’s political independence and territorial sovereignty, and thus all Afghans have to suffer the consequences.
As mentioned before, economic and social viability follow from political independence and territorial sovereignty, as evinced by China. Also, what is important for the Middle East and Asia to learn after centuries of history is that America and Europe will never befriend them. Why? Because of race and religion. As a result, the Middle East and Asia have no option but to strive for political independence and territorial sovereignty in order to attain economic and social viability. Turning towards China – which has achieved sustainable economic and social development as a result of political independence and territorial sovereignty – may help the Middle East and the rest of Asia to achieve these three goals as well.
America and Europe can follow a plan that enables global order and peace. It is right in front of them. But due to racial and religious biases, America and Europe will not follow such an obvious plan that will enable global order and peace. Moreover, there is also an addiction to Afghan and Middle Eastern drugs, gun slinging, and oil on the part of Americans and Europeans that inhibits America and Europe from implementing a clear-cut plan for global order and peace.
Leaders from the Middle East, Africa, and Asia can continue following a path dependency on America and Europe based on the corrupting influence of dollars and goodies handed out to these leaders which in the end will achieve nothing in the way of sustainable economic and social development. Or it can emulate China, through Chinese assistance, by pursuing the two core objectives that will enable sustainable socioeconomic development, namely, political independence and territorial sovereignty. Foreign aid is merely a tool used by Western powers to corrupt and weaken the governments of developing countries and in turn exploit the country’s wealth.
Unless America and Europe relinquish their racial and religious biases and adopt a clear and objective plan for global order and peace that takes into account the interconnection and interdependence of all peoples and nations, America and Europe will continue to go against the grain when it comes to the historical process. One should acknowledge that the historical process will continue to work against America and Europe rather than in favor of them unless America and Europe relinquish their racial and religious biases and adopt a plan that takes into account the interconnection and interdependence of all peoples and nations. Many Western philosophers and thinkers have wondered what the outcome of human history will be. What is evident is that America and Europe have been stalling and suppressing the inevitable outcome of history. But the plan has been set, and the outcome is clear. In the very end, reality encompasses the totality of all nuances and all things. As Emerson said: “The Sun will rise from the East.”
Adam A. Azim 