A New International System

5. A New Model for Internationalism

23 A New Model for Internationalism 5 A New Model for Internationalism The new model is borne out of the wedlock of internationalism with the loss of monopoly of nation-states in the use of destructive weapons, including weapons of mass destruction (WMD). Internationalism has undoubtedly been accompanied by, and to a large extent has been responsible for, a tremendous and unprecedented rise in material wealth around the globe. At the same time it has produced a strange kind of symbiosis among nationstates . No nation-state can go it alone any more. Even the United States, the almighty imperial power, is dependent on the rest of world. This mutual dependency has as its twin a degree of instability. In the eyes of an economist, the system is no longer stable but 24 J. Oerstroem Moeller is “groping” its way towards a new and unknown equilibrium. Misunderstandings and abuses may thwart the system, thus allowing unwanted or unexpected elements to enter — just like a virus may enter a computer and produce the dreaded sign “error” on the screen. In the “old” world the nation-state had a monopoly in the production and use of weapons including WMD. It played according to well-known and observed rules. The newcomers in possession of threatening arsenals do not follow this pattern. They have their own rules and the rules of some of them call for the destruction of our world. And internationalism has produced a fragile and vulnerable world where key centres that are not adequately protected invite attackers. If some of these centres, whether political, economic, business, or technological are put out of operation, our nation-states and the communities they protect may not fall apart as the attacker would wish. They are still too robust. But they may no longer have the uncontested and universally accepted role of bridging relations between the ruling elite and the majority of the population. The majority may start to lose confidence in the ruling elite thus undermining its legitimacy. The 25 A New Model for Internationalism coherence, trust, confidence which form the glue keeping the nation-state and the domestic communities together may dissolve, triggering a social meltdown as wished by the antiinternationalist , disruptive, and destructive forces. This is all the more serious because our world, albeit international, still leans heavily, indeed exclusively, on the strategic thinking associated with the former world of nationstates . The key strategic thinker is the Prussian von Clausewitz whose thesis has shown an admirable, but now dangerous, intellectual virility for more than 200 years! Von Clausewitz tells us two things: War is a continuation of politics by other instruments. In war ultimately all means are brought into action. These two theses operated well enough in a world inspired by nationalism. But they spell the death warrant for an international world. How can we outlive von Clausewitz’ thesis about war as continuation of politics in an interdependent world where all nationstates and all communities interact to ensure a smooth functioning of the whole international community as a precondition for their own development? How can we outlive the thesis if or when some of the 26 J. Oerstroem Moeller players do not act according to well-defined rules about achieving benefits after having won a war but instead choose to go on to destroy the international community? The conclusion is regrettably crystal clear. The strategic thinking offered by von Clausewitz cannot be reconciled with an international world. The imperative of internationalism and consequently the alternative to von Clausewitz is to focus on models for cooperation instead of confrontation, conflicts, and ultimately war. So far the strategists have not turned up at this sand table but are content to play at the old and outdated one. These challenges and changes call for a new kind of internationalism founded on three key principles, each speaking for itself but joined together in a comprehensive model: interventionism, institutionalization, common set-of-values. Briefly sketched, it looks like this: Globalization heralds a situation where actions or policies of one nation-state may threaten the very survival of other nation-states or of the international community. Unless steps are taken to force a change of policies upon the nation-state in question, the international system unravels. In self-defence the international community may even take the 27 A New Model for Internationalism hitherto unprecedented step of intervening inside the borders of a nation-state against its will...