The Islamabad Policy Institute (IPI) hosted a debate with the topic “Israel’s Genocide in Gaza: Specter of a Widening War.” The panelists believed that important stakeholders had critically reevaluated their plans as a result of the redefinition of regional power relations. “US had been setting the stage for the widening conflict for a while in terms of providing the strategic environment on the ground by not fulfilling the responsibility to protect, and allowing blatant violations of the genocide convention, humanitarian law, Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, and gathering of military alliances on the ground,” Shireen Mazari said as she opened the debate in her capacity as the session’s chair.
Geopolitical realignment
Most Americans see China not as a “partner,” but rather as a “competitor” or a “enemy” of the US. And a recent Pew Research Center study suggests that the majority of American citizens do not believe that the United States is winning the race for global power. The majority of Americans (47%) believe that the US has less influence now than it had a few years ago. Just around 20% of respondents believe that US influence has increased, and 32% believe it has remained relatively constant. This contrasts sharply with perceptions of China. According to two-thirds of American adults, the nation’s influence has grown recently. Only 10% of Americans believe China’s influence has been waning, while around one in five believe it has remained constant.
Diversification of Middle Eastern economies
Partisan and ideological views of these two powers’ respective influence in the global arena are strongly related. The likelihood that Republicans and Republican-leaning independents believe that US influence in the globe has been waning is much higher than that of Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents (63% and 37%, respectively).
Furthermore, liberal Democrats are more likely than conservative or moderate Democrats to believe that U.S. influence has been declining (43% vs. 32%), while self-described conservative Republicans are far more likely than moderate or liberal Republicans to hold this opinion (70% vs. 47%). Republicans are also more likely than Democrats to think that China’s international influence has been growing stronger in recent years (72% vs. 63%). Previous research has found that Republicans are more likely than Democrats to view China’s power and influence as a major threat to the US.
Decrease in US economic dominance
Once more, those who share this perspective are more likely to be on the extremes of the ideological spectrum. Compared to 60% of moderate and liberal Republicans, 78% of conservative Republicans believe China’s influence is increasing. Democrats who identify as liberals (72%), as opposed to moderates and conservatives (57%), believe that China’s influence is expanding. While women are more likely to believe that the United States‘ relative influence has stabilized, males are slightly more likely to believe that the country’s power has been waning. In general, differences based on age or education are less pronounced. Americans about a few key international organizations and a number of other nations’ worldwide significance. Opinions about Russia’s influence during the current conflict in Ukraine are sharply divided, with roughly equal numbers stating that it has been becoming stronger (38%) and growing weaker (37%). Just over 20% of Americans believe that Russia’s influence will remain unchanged.
Diplomatic challenges
Regarding the impact of the United Nations, the European Union, and NATO, Americans are also divided. Of these three, the majority of Americans (34%) believe that NATO’s influence on the international scene has grown during the past few years, while 39% believe it has remained constant and 25% believe it has decreased. Once more, partisanship and ideology are associated with these opinions: liberal Democrats are more inclined than conservative Republicans to believe that NATO’s influence is growing (42%), while the latter group is more likely to believe that it has been declining (33%). After decades of non-alignment, Finland and Sweden declared their bids to join the military alliance, citing Russia’s unease with NATO’s expansion into Eastern Europe as a driving force for their invasion of Ukraine. In the current war, the EU has also been involved, contributing to talks concerning Ukraine’s membership and sanctions against Russia.
Conclusion
In conclusion, A fifth of American people (22%) believe that the EU is becoming more influential abroad, while a third believe that the EU’s power is waning. The majority (43%) believe that the EU’s influence is not changing. Four out of ten American citizens believe that the UN’s power has decreased recently, reflecting the country’s more pessimistic views of the organization. Russia has been under scrutiny for the UN Security Council‘s failure to denounce its invasion of Ukraine, given that Russia holds the veto power over all resolutions due to its permanent position on the Council. Merely 16% of Americans believe that the United Nations’ impact on the globe has increased.
