Are Former Big Colonial Powers Now Losing Their Own Sovereignty?

European colonial powers ruled over a huge part of the world during a significant part of modern history, causing massive distress and devastation. Then after WW2 colonial rule started ending in one country after another. This end of colonial rule was very good for the welfare and peace of the world.

In more recent times something very different is being seen. The former colonial powers as well as other European countries are fast losing or surrendering their own sovereignty. This is not good for the welfare and peace of the world. In addition of course this is not good for these countries themselves.

This loss of sovereignty has been taking place mainly with respect to the domination of some significant aspects of their policy making by the USA. These significant aspects are more highlighted in the context of foreign policy such as a policy of greater hostility towards Russia and China. However such important aspects of foreign policy inevitably have their impact on domestic policy as well. If cheaper oil and gas from Russia cannot be obtained, then industrial progress of very important countries like Germany, which depend more on such imports, is adversely affected. Similarly if there are important constraints on trade or business deals with such an important economy as that of China, then again the development possibilities of several European countries are adversely affected.

One argument that has been used to justify such a situation has been that the security cover provided by the USA has been an adequate compensation for any loss of sovereignty. However this argument can be questioned in basic contexts. If European countries have to necessarily become partners in the USA’s quest for dominance that will inevitably involve very destructive hostility first with Russia and then with China, then is this an option which, with all its dangers, likely to have the genuine support of the majority of people of Europe?

Sometimes questions need to be raised more clearly to understand the preferences of people. If alternative one is to become captive to the USA’s quest for dominance with all its dangers of being exposed to destructive wars including nuclear war and if alternative two is to strive for a peaceful future that can best protect European interests, then most people of Europe are likely to prefer the second option.

However due to ways in which politics is organized in which certain forces and trends have an unfair advantage, such a clear choice in favor of peace, safety and welfare of people is difficult to achieve at certain times, particularly during these times.

Peace and safety must be a big priority for the people of Europe who have been at the center of two world wars. Nevertheless what we can see clearly is that several countries that constituted Yugoslavia were devastated and now Ukraine too is being devastated in a big way. All this devastation was clearly avoidable. First a false narrative that will lead to devastation is created and then devastation follows. Europe must come out of this.              

With its high levels of education and the presence of many prominent intellectuals, at least one should be assured of rational decision making in Europe and yet this has been in short supply in Europe in recent times.

In fact irrational decision making in Europe has been captive to the irrationality of needlessly aggressive decision making in the USA. So there is a chain of irrational decision making covering the countries with the highest levels of education, if rationality is to be defined as the well thought-out pursuit of safety, peace and welfare of people. 

Instead of becoming captive to the USA’s entirely avoidable aggressive agenda of dominance, Europe must seek to help its friend the USA to get rid of its own irrationality of a highly aggressive agenda. Europe with its close friendship and people to people relations with the USA can best achieve this. The best means of achieving this is a very strong peace movement in Europe as well as the USA working unitedly for creating a consensus on policies that can ensure a future of justice base peace and environment protection, exactly what the world needs today. This would be a work of historical importance, and would surely get the enthusiastic support of people and people’s movements from all over the world.

Bharat Dogra is Honorary Convener, Campaign to Save Earth Now. His recent books include Planet in Peril, Protecting Earth for Children, Earth without Borders and A Day in 2071.