The post-Cold War world order was largely characterized by the US hegemony which exercised its power not only through its economic and military might, but equally so with the web of institutions, norms, values and international rules that governed the functioning ofa globalized world with almost all the countries in the world interwoven in this web of networks.
The unipolar moment that was attained in the 1990s after the end of the Cold War and saw the United States as the sole superpower dictating the rules of the game globally is now changing.1 The American hegemony is in decline, multilateral institutions are weakening, West-propelled globalization is facing backlash across the world, and the liberal democratic order espoused by the Western hemisphere has begun to show its faultlines.2 Despite such an extensive and entrenched network of both hard power and soft power institutions, the USA faltered in its foreign policy framework and objectives. Geopolitics and interest-based transactions were often sacrificed at the altar of self-imposed values- based and sermonizing tendencies of the US foreign policy. Such an odd note was most visible with the Democrats in the USA who have done a great deal in the waning of the USA’s influence in the current shifting and fluid global order.
Two cases in point are the USA’s relationship with Saudi Arabia, which is on a downhill, and the frequent obstacles created by the Democrats that impede the strengthening of India-US ties often by raking up issues based on the vested interests of a few Democrats in the US with ulterior motives. For over seven decades, the USA maintained a close alliance with Saudi Arabia despite some hiccups like the kingdom’s human rights record or the Arab-Israeli war. However, in the recent past, a visible strain in the relationship has become conspicuous. For instance, the spillover of Jamal Khashoggi’s murder in disturbing the ties between the two countries has deep geopolitical ramifications.3
Democrats, in particular, worsened the strategic partnership with Saudi Arabia by directly implicating Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman (MBS) in the alleged killing of Jamal Khashoggi, insisting upon his accountability and suggesting measures such as sanctions imposed against him and his clique. Leading Democrats even called for cuts in US support for Saudi Arabia. For example, Representative Adam Schiff called for an immediate cut-off in U.S. support for Saudi military operations in Yemen and a suspension of U.S. arms and ammunition sales to Saudi Arabia. Senator Mark Warner derided MBS and Saudi Arabia for their human rights record and muzzling of a free press. Senator Dianne Feinstein urged the US establishment for initiating sanctions against Saudis.4
Even President Biden, a Democrat, during his campaign for the presidency,vowed to make Saudi Arabia a global “pariah” over the murder of Khashoggi. He went on to release a report blaming Prince Mohammed for Khashoggi’s killing. As President, he snubbed MBS by relegating him to liaise with US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin. The kingdom saw it as an insult to the country’s de facto ruler5.
The ramifications of such a foreign policy approach by the USA are now being felt. Saudi Arabia too snubbed the USA by coordinating with Russia as part of OPEC Plus to cut oil production despite the USA’s insistence on otherwise. Saudi moving closer to China is another repercussion of a faulty foreign policy stance, especially of the Democrats, by the USA. A major news today is the détente between Saudi Arabia and Iran that has been facilitated by China rather than the USA which has been a traditional peace broker in the region.
This development has many connotations. A Wall Street Journal reported that the joint statement among the three countries “agreed not to use English in the negotiations, with speeches and documents conducted in Arabic, Persian or Mandarin.” The noted emphasis of avoiding English marks an effort to move away from the Anglicized framework driven by the US-led West.6 It also marks a sharp rise in Beijing’s diplomatic heft and importance in the region, highlighting how China is attempting to present itself as a force for peace in the world, a mantle that the United States has largely abandoned in recent years.7It,therefore, lays bare the self-imposed handicaps that have been crippling USA’s foreign policy approach. It also shows the waning of the USA’s diplomatic influence and the opening of alternative frameworks, options and choices for the countries worldwide.
The foremost reason for limiting US influence is the practice of attaching strings of ideology, self-imposed rules and values in dealing with other nations regardless of their sensitivities and interests such as the US-led West often trying to evangelize its ‘values’ and democratic political system in foreign policy, issuing frequent lectures on domestic policy and human rights, amongst others.8
Democrats being a hindrance to strengthening strategic ties with India often by instigating internal issues and sermonizing India on aspects such as human rights and religious freedom have also been very conspicuous. For instance, resolutions being introduced in the US Congress regarding the decline of religious freedom and press freedom in India, interfering in India’s internal security issues such as internet shutdown in Jammu & Kashmir without getting into the merits of the problem, questioning upholding of human rights in India, despite its own poor track record, have all been a major irritant in India-USA relationship.9 There is a whole cabal of Left-leaningDemocrats that work as an industry, trying to stymie the progress in boosting ties between the USA and its strategic partners such as India and Saudi Arabia. The clique of Democrats such as ‘The Squad’ is often involved in such obstructions. Democrat leaders like Pramila Jayapal attempted to introduce a resolution against India in the US Congress or Democrat Congresswoman Ilhan Omar visited to Pakistan-occupied-Kashmir (PoK) showcasing “narrow-minded politics” and a violation of India’s sovereignty and territorial integrity does not bode well for deepening India- USA ties.10
Today’s world is in flux. Geopolitics is reshaping the current global order in myriad ways. The American hegemony is on a decline with the emergence of a more multipolar world. In such a situation, American foreign policy is facing not only external headwinds but is being constrained by internal forces, especially the faulty and fractured approaches of the Democrats in dealing with America’s partners.
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