Responsibility

Imagine two brothers, one a small boy and the other almost a full grown man. If parents send these kids to school they expect the oldest brother to protect the younger one, even without explicitly mentioning this. Strength implies responsibility, even if the older brother lives through some frustrations due to a failed exam, a girl who rejected his advances or a lost football match. Frustrations in life do not free one from responsibility, and the protection of the younger brother must be given at all moments and everywhere along the route to adulthood of the kid. When countries are more populous, have more resources or are geographically easier to defend, the analogy remains valid. The USA, lying on a separate continent, with apart from Cuba, only allied neighbours, having tons of resources and an energetic young immigrant based population can be seen as a young adult. Ukraine on the other hand, was given statehood, only 25 years ago, has many resources, but is geographically a not defensible territory with a decreasing population. It was promised to be defended by three more adult countries, but then attacked by the main supposed defender and left in vain by the 2 others. As a result, Ukraine must grow up very fast. It did so and pacified the sea south of the country and invented modern warfare by using and producing more drones than anybody else.

The frustrations of the USA are clear, lost wars in Afghanistan, Iraq, Somalia, Libya, Vietnam, Cambodia and stale mates in Kosovo, Bosnia and Korea made the big brother feel ridiculous. The world is not amendable. Why take responsibility if, in the end, one is kicked out, not loved and that all at huge financial and human expenses. The listed losses are however compensated, although the compensation is taken for granted or suggested the result of hard work. As usual the compensation is both, the result of the dominance of the USA and hard work. Main assets are the absolute dominance in IT and financial industries, the dominance in the entertainment industry and the so often copied societal economical model called rogue capitalism. The US dollar remains king and is hardly challenged. But the main asset for the big brother taking responsibility is non-proliferation of nuclear arms. With Ukraine as the failed example, a country that removed its nukes, its deterrent and now lost its most strategic marine ports, its industrialised part and the promise of rare earth resources in the territories now taken over by the other big brother that was supposed to protect the young one. The third brother, supposed to protect Ukraine, is the UK, a country so busy with itself, its half Brexit, the assimilation of the population of its former partly Muslim empire, that even the idea of protecting a smaller one is not even demanded by the bullied kid.

The price of this all is simple, the small brother has to grow up fast. This implies nukes, strength, just as the three other brothers. The very idea that Ukraine should not adhere to NATO, should not reclaim its lost territories, results in only one thing. Proliferation of Nukes, starting with Ukraine, followed by Poland, Finland and the Baltic states. The very idea in the USA, that one can refrain from responsibility can only result it that the ones who used to be protected, gain strength, become equal to their bullies. The price of irresponsible behaviour is proliferation of nukes. Starting with countries possessing nuclear power plants, facilitating access to plutonium, and in possession of the know-how to develop their own flavour of nuclear deterrent. Russia and the USA are through their irresponsible behaviour creating their new challengers. The new world order Putin and Trump aspire will develop fast, know far more players, and be extremely more dangerous than the monopolar world order dominated by the often painfully failing United States. A failed United States on battle grounds, but who's economical model has been copied, everywhere, apart from Bhutan. If only they knew.