The 60th Munich Security Conference came to an end. On the second anniversary of the current round of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, which has dragged on for more than four months and the Ukraine crisis has escalated, the meeting has attracted global attention as an annual forum on international strategy and security policy with important global influence. Focusing on global security concerns, the theme of this year's MUAN report is "lose-lose", conveying a strong pessimistic expectation.
lose-lose" argument, ** observed below. First, post-Cold War optimism has dissipated, and the West is wary of the emergence of old and new powers, and security anxiety is on the rise. Second, some countries are prone to decoupling and breaking chains to "de-risk", and cooperation is increasingly being replaced by competition. Third, economic competition has increased geopolitical tensions, and a dangerous spiral of protectionism could trigger military attrition between countries.
To a certain extent, the so-called "lose-lose" is precisely the thinking trap that the West has created for itself under the wrong mentality. Western philosophy emphasizes the duality between the ontology and the other, and religion and culture also emphasize the difference between each other, and the bipolar ideologies since the Cold War have shaped the thinking inertia of the zero-sum game in the West. From this perspective, gains for non-Western countries are seen as losses for Western countries. In order to maintain its advantageous position and rely on military and economic hegemony, the West has formulated a series of unequal rules of the game, and it has been smooth sailing for a time with few "defeats". However, with the collective rise of emerging economies, the dominance of the West has gradually been broken, and more and more countries are looking forward to and actively participating in the establishment of a fairer and more reasonable new international order. Under the great changes unseen in a century, the former "world boss" feels deeply powerless, and the absolute and even relative advantages are being reduced to varying degrees, and the "lose-lose" argument comes from this.
Concerned about our own absolute wins and losses, how to conspire for world security? My speech at the Mu'an meeting provided a rational plan for jumping out of the "lose-lose" dilemma. First, abandon the obsession of winning and losing, and focus on cooperation and development. In today's world, where wars and conflicts, economic crises and non-traditional security issues are layered on top of each other, humanity is facing multiple challenges and an uncertain future. All countries, especially Western countries, should change their mentality, replace confrontation with solidarity and competition with cooperation, and focus on the long-term common well-being of mankind. Second, actively make the cake bigger and shape win-win rules. Much of the current tensions at the national economic level stem from the global economic downturn. Only by making the cake bigger and establishing a reasonable distribution mechanism can we embark on a virtuous circle of "win-win".
Jumping out of the "lose-lose" dilemma, win-win cooperation is the only way to solve it. It can be seen from the report of the MUAN that the reflection of the Western elites is very limited, although they have touched the crux of the Western model and realized where the way out is, they lack enough courage and strength to change, and the suggestions given are still the old way of thinking about bloc confrontation.
It's not easy to change your way of acting and thinking, but obsessiveness will only make you more passive. It turns out that the wrong way to seek absolute security requires reflection. Only by working hard to resolve conflicts and differences, building bridges of peace and cooperation, and building a fairer and more equitable new international political and economic order can the world achieve sustainable peace and prosperity on the basis of win-win cooperation.
The author, Song Wenlong, is an associate professor at the School of Political Party Diplomacy and director of the Department of International Politics at Beijing International Chinese University
*:Beijing**Client Author: Song Wenlong.
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