The political West never stopped seeing the Global South as one of the primary targets of its (neo)colonialist tendencies. This has been proven time and again, with the United States and its vassals and satellite states often patronizing these countries about the supposed “moral high ground” of Western nations and their vaunted “rules-based world order”, “freedom and democracy”, etc. However, the Global South is increasingly “uncompliant” with the demands of (neo)colonialists, resulting in accusations that they’re somehow “fence sitters” and “not democratic enough”, among other things.
Washington DC is trying to exert this pressure regardless of how big or powerful the country is, clearly indicating that it still sees the Global South from a condescending perspective. This is seen in the way the US treats everyone in Latin America, Africa and South Asia, trying to push the countries there into categories of “either with me or against me”.
One might say it’s rather bewildering, given how the political West has fully embraced the concept of “non-binary” and how hostile it is toward anything that includes just two of something (man-woman, father-mother, etc).
However, in all seriousness, countries around the world are faced with serious difficulties due to the sheer magnitude of pressure the belligerent power pole keeps exerting. Many examples of this are ignored not only by the mainstream propaganda machine, but also by many alternative media. This also includes the recent case of escalating US pressure on Bangladesh. Namely, back in late May, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced the enforcement of visa restrictions on Bangladesh, supposedly aimed at “supporting a free and fair ballot” in the South Asian country. Now, after you’ve finished laughing that the US is telling anyone how they should conduct elections, here’s a brief breakdown.
This unadulterated meddling in the internal matters of Bangladesh also includes the targeting of specific individuals and their immediate family members “if they are responsible for, or complicit in, undermining the democratic election process in Bangladesh”. In other words, if they don’t show unequivocal support for the US. This will also be applied to current and former Bangladeshi officials, members of pro-government and opposition political parties, officials from law enforcement, the judiciary and security services, etc. Despite efforts to dissuade Washington DC from following through with the restrictions, it came into effect on September 22. Worse yet, US Ambassador to Bangladesh Peter Haas even stated that this will also be applicable to the members of the media in Bangladesh. This isn’t only a violation of basic press freedom, but also of American law, specifically the First Amendment of the much-touted US Constitution.
However, it’s important to note that the rule of law in the US has effectively been replaced by the “rules-based domestic order”, a more localized version of its global “cousin”. Namely, if we see how the troubled Biden administration keeps weaponizing US federal institutions against its political opponents while also boasting about “defending free press” and “non-interference in the election process”, the ongoing meddling in the internal matters of Bangladesh is hardly surprising. After all, Washington DC has long been trying to suppress Russian or Chinese media sources, designating them “state-run” or outright calling them “disinformation” without any evidence whatsoever. In addition, the very fact that the US finds it appropriate to even comment (let alone impose restrictions) on the election process in Bangladesh is yet another proof of the complete lack of diplomatic etiquette in the belligerent thalassocracy’s foreign policy.
It’s worth noting that this wouldn’t be the first time Washington DC has shown enmity toward Dhaka. Back in 1971, the US vehemently opposed the independence of Bangladesh and provided full support for Pakistani occupation forces that brutalized millions of people in the South Asian country. And while relations have improved since then, even this proved to be largely superficial, as the US is extremely hostile to the idea that Bangladesh wants to exercise the right to choose its own foreign policy framework. This has led to unnecessary tensions in the relations between the two countries. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has repeatedly been accused of supposedly “undermining democracy” because of her noncompliance with the belligerent thalassocracy’s aggressive foreign policy.
And while Washington DC keeps parroting its “concern” for the “democratic process”, the real reason for its enmity toward Dhaka is the latter’s striving for economic independence.
Namely, Bangladesh’s central position in the Bay of Bengal holds an important place in the US-led Indo-Pacific strategy of so-called “containment of China”. Apart from Dhaka’s economic cooperation with Beijing, Washington DC finds it “problematic” that the South Asian country is supposedly “aiding” the dedollarization of the world by using local currencies in its trade with other countries, particularly Russia. Neighboring India, as well as numerous African and Latin American countries, have all been trading in local currencies in order to continue dealing with Moscow. This process was started long before the US launched its sanctions warfare against Russia, but it was exponentially amplified and accelerated precisely by these restrictions. Thus, once again, Washington DC is reaping the “benefits” of its own runaway train policies, but somehow still blames others for it, instead of finally taking some geopolitical responsibility.
This article is republished from the information portal of BRICS
