To be multipolar, i.e., to have multiple centers of power, is the ultimate and eternal global reality. While, the role and reach of the dominant power(s) in international politics varied widely over the centuries, there has never been a single nation or a bloc that enjoyed uncontested monopoly of power over the planet. Exercise of power by its very nature leads to the rise of countervailing centers of power (at home and/or abroad). Military might has inherent limitations. It certainly can destroy the enemy in a war, but cannot necessarily win peace. Iraq is merely the latest testament to the inadequacy of force. History tells us that power prevails only when it is restrained by a redeeming social and moral purpose. The US is certainly the most powerful power in human history. Unlike the other Super Powers in the past, America enjoys supremacy in every sector of life. China, the second most powerful country, is miles behind. However mighty the US might be, it is not the Almighty! In today's world, the US is often thwarted in its effort to "rule" the planet and the outer space. As the lone Super Power (at its best), America is able to set the global agenda, but not able to implement it. A variety of new linkages and cross connections interdicting the legacy of the Cold War alliances and relationships are emerging and taking roots, especially since 9/11. An effort is made here to analyze the contours of the emerging multipolarity that could possibly define the architecture of the global power structure in the 21st century.
Throughout history, empires were waxed and waned. Kings, soldiers of fortune, and rulers of republics, tyrants of totalitarian states, and imperialisms of right and left subjugated the weak and plundered the hapless at home and in foreign lands. However, power prevailed and the powerful endured only when they were fortified with a redeeming social and moral purpose. Rulers stayed in power without fear only when they won and retained the support of their people. Violence and coercion that are patently unjust and are perceived to be so by people in general always rested on uneasy foundations even when they lasted over time. Power can only go that far and no further. It is in this fundamental sense that power over others is never absolute and can never be absolute. As the old adage goes, you can drag a horse to the water, but can not make it drink. Even the less powerful can stymie the designs of the most powerful. On the global scene power is always dispersed among many state and non-state actors. What varies from time to time is its relative distribution, dynamic flux, and the changing political will to exercise it over others. Most nations do what they want when their vital interests are involved, whether, the powers that be like it or not. It is in this ultimate sense that the global reality is eternally multipolar. |
