Current and future developments in the world will show which states can claim the status as real sovereign states and which cannot. This is somewhat a plus of the modern multipolar world order.

With the new Trump administration and his peculiar, largely cowboy-esque manner of handling affairs – including international ones – there are a number of advantages for the supporters of a multipolar world. The actions of a number of countries will determine the degree of sovereignty of any particular state, regardless of the region it belongs to. Obviously, Washington will put maximum pressure on all states to try to distance them from China and Russia.

The American show has already begun

If at first it might seem to some that the rhetoric of the current US President Donald Trump and his administration, including in terms of threats to use various means of (economic and not only) pressure on countries in different regions of the world, is more empty talk than reality, now we are witnessing the Washington regime moving from words to deeds. Here, more than ever, it is important to understand that truly sovereign states do not succumb to any kind of blackmail; the same cannot be said about those countries that still lack sovereignty or are somewhere in the middle.

As for the regimes of the Western planetary minority, there will most likely not be any surprises. Whether it is Canada, Brussels’ Europe or Australia, all of them will have to obey their Washington boss in one way or another. Their Western domestic showdown will have zero significance for us or, at most, this significance will be far from paramount. Russian President Vladimir Putin stated the following truth in this regard: “European leaders liked former US President Joe Biden more mentally. Trump has different ideas about what is good and bad, including in gender policy and other issues”, he said. Nevertheless, Putin is sure that Trump, with his character and perseverance, will put things in order pretty quickly and they will all stand at the master’s feet and gently wave their tails.

There is not much to add. But this is exactly the aforementioned ‘Western domestic showdown’. As for the non-Western world and the global majority, much is becoming clear at the moment. Panama is an example of this, a country that Trump has repeatedly mentioned in terms of changing its current status due to its active cooperation with China. Thus, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio warned Panamanian President Jose Raul Mulino on Sunday [Feb 2-ed] that Washington would “take the necessary measures” if Panama did not immediately take steps to end what Trump considers Chinese influence and control over the Panama Canal.

Apparently, Panama turned out to be a case where US threats worked. President Mulino, after talks with the Secretary of State in Panama City, made it clear that he would review agreements involving China and Chinese business, and also announced further cooperation with the United States in the field of migration, while reiterating that his country’s sovereignty over one of the main shipping channels in the world is non-negotiable. Although, as it turns out, it is very negotiable…

Prospects

The Panama example, to a certain extent, shows that today’s and future events will bring clarity to all supporters of the modern multipolar world order in terms of who is capable of defending their national interests at the highest level today and who does not yet have such an opportunity. Obviously, the main loser in the Panama case is not China, but Panama, which has not only shown its lack of real sovereignty, but may also lose the mutually beneficial economic opportunities provided by China.

By the way, it is also clear that Washington will not be able to offer it any comparable opportunities. But, as they say, everyone has the right to choose. As for China specifically, it has plenty of alternatives in the Latin American region and today, more than ever, the correctness of China’s policy of working in various areas for the long term is becoming clear.

It is possible, though, that a reasonable and dignified response from Beijing to the cowboy blackmail of Chinese partners will follow. It may turn out to be no less painful than the recent shock for a number of US corporations with the emergence of most serious Chinese competitors in the field of artificial intelligence. Having caused not only huge financial losses to an overly confident statesman in this extremely important area in the modern era, but also destroying the myth of US technological dominance in this field.

Of course, it will be extremely important to monitor a number of countries in all regions of the world in the near future, including in terms of their further participation in the Chinese Belt and Road mega-project. One thing is clear: in Eurasia, Africa, and Latin America there will soon be even more certainty about those countries that can rightfully be considered independent and sovereign states as real supporters of our common multipolar world order, and those who are not yet prepared for this. So, the current cowboy show definitely has its advantages, and as for the showdown inside the Western world, there are only pluses.

Mikhail Gamandiy-Egorov, entrepreneur, political observer, and expert on Africa and the Middle East. Courtesy

https://journal-neo.su/2025/02/07/soon-it-shall-be-clear-who-has-full-sovereignty-and-who-hasnt/