Author: Simon P. Otero
The Russian invasion of Ukraine has surpassed the month mark and the “aggressive” economic response by the West has barely scratched the Russian economy, nor has it mitigated the Kremlin’s appetite for expansion. The issue is that our leaders are viewing this act on their own and consequently are missing the big picture. Russia’s actions are only a piece of the puzzle for global hegemony orchestrated by the Chinese Communist Party. The only way that Putin has been able to maintain a strong fight against the economic pressures by the West has been due to the safety net set by Xi Jinping through under-the-table deals similar to those with North Korea. China has recognized that since the turn of the decade, America has withdrawn from its role as the developing world’s police and angel investor. The vacuum left by the Americans has been the greatest asset for the Chinese to exploit by leading the world in foreign direct investment.
An example of this is how Colombia’s President Ivan Duque approached the steps of the White House in search of financial assistance, but was met with empty promises and unclear goals such as the BW3 which is an idealistic program lacking an actual plan. On the other hand, he turned to the Chinese and was welcomed with open arms, and he flew back to Bogota boasting about the infrastructure assistance such as the Bogota Metro, a new gold mine in Antioquia, 5G projects, and other tangible investments that he would provide to the Colombian people. This scenario is not exclusive to Latin America, but virtually all other regions that have stopped receiving U.S. investment such as Africa, Asia, and the Middle East. Deals with the devil come with strings attached, yet the politicians of these countries will take whatever they can get to build confidence in their nation’s economy as well as expand their electoral base. China is generating a network of economic dependency and control by seamlessly infiltrating these countries through their Belt and Road Initiative, which Colombia aims to join. As China builds its status as the new hegemon, it must keep its reputation clean, which is why Russia acts as Xi Jinping’s “fixer,” or shady right-hand man. They are doing the dirty work that would otherwise taint the reputation of the Chinese, such as instigating and financing protests through misinformation campaigns, allegedly purchasing votes, wooing opportunistic politicians, and expending the full might of their trolling farms to destabilize democracies and instate socialist brown-nosed China-loving regimes. This has been the case in various countries such as Chile and Ecuador in 2019, and most recently in Colombia.
Another way that Putin continues to fuel his war efforts in Ukraine is through Xi Jinping’s economic dependence playbook that has notably been used by members of its immoral bloc of terrorist nations such as Venezuela and Iran. The infamous mercenary Wagner Group, financed by Putin’s chef Yevgeny Prigozhin, has carried out quid pro quos with African despots offering military training and assistance in return for untraceable diamonds and gold. Despite this being a less diplomatic interpretation of Xi’s strategy, it will allow Putin to establish a presence in Africa, but most importantly fund his invasion avoiding the international banking system.
The seat for the throne is up for grabs, and if the United States wants to take it back, it must strengthen its alliances (or seek the ones that are left) and be ready to put on the gloves and fight for democracy, human rights, and conscious capitalism and development. Putin invading Ukraine is like a magician’s use of misdirection for China to test the waters with the West before they decide to invade Taiwan or other places and take the throne once and for all.