U.S. Arrogance and the 'Fence-Sitters'

It is true that U.S. policymakers aren’t used to practicing humility and empathy, but an even bigger problem is that many of them see these things as failings rather than virtues.

Matias Spektor has some good advice for how the U.S. can operate in a multipolar world:

To win friends in a multipolar world, the United States should start taking the concerns of the global South more seriously. Adopting a condescending stance or, worse, shutting these countries out of the conversation entirely is a recipe for trouble. Major developing countries are not only indispensable partners in tackling climate change and preventing global economic turmoil but also in managing China’s rise and Russia’s reassertion of power.

Engaging these countries will take humility and empathy on the part of U.S. policymakers, who are not used to either.

It is true that U.S. policymakers aren’t used to practicing humility and empathy, but an even bigger problem is that many of them see these things as failings rather than virtues. One might think that “great power competition” would force U.S. policymakers to be more attentive to what the “fence-sitters” want, but in practice it seems to make the U.S. more inflexible and demanding. Instead of asking what it is that the other countries need and then listening to their answers, the U.S. tends to berate them for doing business with rivals and talk down to them about how the rivals are taking advantage of them.