Changing faces, changing sides

The 50s and 60s, the post war period, was best exemplified by the rivalry between Communism and Western Imperialism leading to Cold Wars and proxy wars. The bad guys were the Communists led by the Soviet Union and PRC. The good guys were the USA and its European and Asian allies. Soviet Union and PRC were everything bad, from poverty, military aggression, exporting revolution, and supporting insurgencies to regime change and espionage. The good guys, the Americans and allies were protection of free trade and development, economic aids and a better materialistic well being for the people on the side of goodness. The good and bad were very clearly defined, the Communist camp versus the Capitalist camp, the rich versus the poor, the haves versus the have nots, first world, modernization, economic development, versus third world, underdeveloped or developing countries, poverty and backwardness.

How the world have changed today with the two sides switching places. The rich Americans and European countries are stuck in a financial and economic crisis that could turn them into beggars, broken economies, corruption and bankruptcies. On the Communist side it was all development, development, trade and loans to the developing countries. The Russians and Chinese were everywhere signing trade and development agreements. The Americans were everywhere signing defence pacts and military agreements, conducting war games, inciting rivalry, supporting insurgencies, conducting regime change and fighting wars. The Russians and Chinese were all businesses, in business suits, buying and selling raw materials/goods/services all over the world. They carry briefcases with loads of cash to trade. The Americans were everywhere in their infamous pixilated uniforms, in military and naval crafts, with guns in hand, fighting and selling weapons, and killing framed enemies.

The Americans and their western allies are still calling themselves the good guys fighting the bad guys. But the two big bad guys are not fighting and did not carry guns on their foreign diplomatic trips. Wars, military rivalry and weapons are least on their minds. It is trade, buying and selling of commodities, raw materials and finished products that they carry with them. On the other hands, the Americans are selling weapons and weapons and nothing else, and threatening countries with sanctions and regime change.

This good guy image is now only in name. The good guy mask is soon to fall off when the world starts to call a spade a spade. It is such an irony that the two sides, the good guys and the bad guys, have changed sides. The communists are now rich, committed to free trade and engaging in trades and not wars. The bankrupt Americans and the west are raising trade barriers and fighting everywhere. In every international forum, the ‘good guys’ could be seen pounding the table to attack and bully one country or another. The ‘bad guys’ were there to defend the victims and lend them the support. The wolf pack of the ‘good guys’ will be there to tear down countries one at a time, the perfection of centuries of divide and rule to dominate the world. Now the rest of the world have two ‘bad guys’ plus a few newbies in an infant grouping called the BRICS countries to offer a new balance and a new code of ethics in international relations. A new ‘good guy’ pact is being formed to replace the old ‘good guy’ American mafia.