A world driven by 'power' and the race for dominance between the US, China and Russia

 

A world driven by 'power' and the race for dominance between the US, China and Russia

 

After US forces captured Venezuela's ousted President Maduro in Caracas, US President Donald Trump declared that "no one will question American supremacy in the Western Hemisphere from today."

And as Donald Trump asserts Washington's power, Russia and China are also continuing their efforts to expand their sphere of influence.

Many analysts believe that these three countries are trying to bring about a new global order that will have a profound impact on Europe and other world powers.

In this article, we will try to see how the US, China and Russia are using military, economic and political means to increase their influence not only on their neighbors but also on countries far beyond their borders.

 

Designed image of Donald Trump, against a background that uses elements of the US flag.,Image source:Getty Images

 

America wants to ‘run the world on its own strength’

Under the Trump administration, the United States is seeking to reshape its foreign policy and national security strategies, with a Western-centric focus.

Trump’s strategy is a stark contrast to recent US presidents, both Democratic and Republican, who have adopted a more global view of American power and authority.

According to Trump administration officials, it is a foreign policy that revolves around the idea of ​​‘America first’ and focuses more on issues that directly affect the American people, such as immigration, crime and drug trafficking.

Recently, Trump’s senior adviser Stephen Miller said that this is a world that is run on strength. His statement can be compared to the practical, non-ideological foreign policy of Henry Kissinger and Richard Nixon in the 1960s and 1970s.

However, it is best to compare it to the efforts of US Presidents Roosevelt and William McKinley to establish American imperialism in the early 20th century.

Roosevelt took the 1823 Monroe Doctrine, which stated that the Western Hemisphere should be kept away from European influence, a step further by emphasizing that Washington should play an active role in securing all of North and South America.

During this period, the US provided financial assistance to countries such as Venezuela and the Dominican Republic, while also deploying troops in Haiti and Nicaragua.

Since the beginning of his second term, President Trump has shown a keen interest in the regions and issues in the US’s immediate vicinity.

The capture of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro in Caracas through a military operation is a classic example of this. But it did not happen suddenly. He has previously ordered attacks on suspected drug-smuggling ships, tried to pressure Latin American countries by imposing sanctions on them, and announced his support for candidates in several countries during elections. He has also repeatedly talked about annexing Greenland, the Panama Canal, and all of Canada to the United States.

The White House’s recently released national security strategy states that America’s security and prosperity require it to be far ahead of other countries in the Western Hemisphere so that the United States can confidently assert its authority when and where necessary.

One goal of this policy is to counter attempts by other world powers, especially China, to bring America’s neighbors under their influence, which could conflict with global political concerns of American interests.

In addition, Trump has shown a keen interest in establishing peace among other countries of the world and strengthening economic and security ties with Gulf countries, including Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates.

Donald Trump and his close advisers have expressed the view that the United States is the guardian of Western civilization and against forces that would try to destroy its culture and traditions.

This indicates that while American foreign policy is indeed linked to the policy of “America First,” Trump’s own personal views will play an important role in shaping the American agenda.

Throughout America’s 250-year history, its foreign policy has oscillated between isolationism and interventionism, idealism, and pragmatism. However, all of this has depended on the military might of the United States and the views of its people and leaders.

Although things seem to be changing rapidly during Trump’s second presidency, there is still no sign that the cycle of repeated changes along these same lines in American foreign policy will end in the future.

How China established its influence

China’s influence is not limited to any one region or area.

From the South Pacific to South and Central Asia, the Middle East, Latin America, China’s influence can be felt in every corner of the world. To dominate the world, China has made full use of its greatest skill: manufacturing.

About a third of the world’s products are manufactured in China, including the everyday appliances, clothes, and furniture we find in our pockets.

To maintain its dominance in the future, Beijing is ensuring that it has the largest reserves of precious metals. These metals are used in the manufacture of all kinds of technological products, including smartphones, electric vehicles, and military equipment.

About 90 of the world’s rare earth metals are processed in China, and they recently used this ability against Donald Trump. When the US imposed tariffs on China, it responded by cutting exports of processed minerals.

Perhaps that is why the US is trying to get rare minerals from Greenland and elsewhere. It feels like a war for resources is going on between the two superpowers.

This is a huge achievement for China, which in 2000 was a second-rate player in a world where the US dominated.

In 2026, President Xi Jinping is emerging as an emerging global leader, wielding power and influence through trade, technology and investment, backed by a growing military.

China’s journey from one of the world’s poorest countries to a major industrial and technological powerhouse offers hope to many emerging economies.

It has proven to be an effective strategy. In 2001, more than 80% of economies traded more bilaterally with the US than with China, but now nearly 70% of the world trades more with China than with the US.

Beijing has also focused on development and has invested heavily in emerging economies as part of its Belt and Road Initiative. This is a massive global infrastructure project that includes ports, railways, roads and energy projects built with Chinese investment. These projects span Asia, Europe and Africa.

As a result, many countries are increasingly indebted to China.

One question that arose after Donald Trump’s operation in Venezuela was whether China would consider attacking Taiwan. But China considers Taiwan its internal affair. As a province that will one day be reunified with the motherland.

If President Xi attacks Taiwan, it will not be simply because the US has set a precedent by attacking Venezuela.

Most analysts believe that China will continue its strategy of bullying the Taiwanese people in order to force Taiwan to the negotiating table.

President Xi’s vision has always been the “great rejuvenation” of the Chinese nation. As he stood on a balcony at last year’s military parade, looking down on his troops, he said that China’s rise was “unstoppable.”

His dream is to create a world that looks up to and admires Beijing, and he sees the current global turmoil under Donald Trump as a period of “transformation.”

He sees it as an opportunity. His message is that the world is at a crossroads and he believes that China is best placed to help it develop.

Russia’s defense chief in the region,

 Vladimir Putin, famously, or perhaps infamously, called the collapse of the Soviet Union the “greatest geopolitical catastrophe” of the 20th century.

There is a common perception among Russians that they refer to the former Soviet states as “closer than abroad.” These states gained independence from the Soviet Union in the 1990s.

Many believe that this term suggests that these states are not as independent as other countries abroad.

This is the Kremlin’s view, and Russia believes that it has legitimate interests in these countries and that it is Russia’s responsibility to protect them.

But the Kremlin’s sense of influence in the region is tenuous. The Kremlin deliberately does not explain where its borders actually extend.

President Putin once said that “Russian borders never end.” Some supporters of his expansionist policies believe that Russia’s influence should historically extend to the territory where the Russian Empire once stood. Or perhaps even further.

That is why Moscow likens the annexed territories of Ukraine to its “historical territory.”

But the truth is that the Kremlin respects the sovereignty of former Soviet states and other countries where it sees its “interests.”

Historically, Russia has exerted economic and military pressure on former states that have spoken out against Russia’s move away from its orbit.

Ukraine was made to understand this in a harsh way. For more than a decade after leaving the Soviet Union, the Ukrainian government pursued policies that were pro-Kremlin and furthered its goals. It allowed a Russian naval base in Crimea.

The Kremlin was happy with the deal, but then Ukraine elected a pro-Western president, Viktor Yushchenko. Under his presidency, Russia cut off gas supplies twice, in 2006 and 2009.

When economic pressure and political interference stopped making a difference, Russia intervened in Crimea and took control of the region in 2014. It then intervened in Ukraine with full force in 2022.

Similarly, in 2008, Russia launched a war against Georgia, when the reformist Mikheil Saakashvili was president. This gave Russia control of 20 percent of Georgia’s territory

Since then, Russian troops have been moving border posts and barbed wire deep into Georgia, in what is locally called a “continuous occupation.”

The lack of a solid response from the West, despite Russian interventions in Georgia in 2008 and Ukraine in 2014, further solidified Putin’s belief that it was possible to gain control of the “near abroad” regions.

Although Ukraine and Georgia resisted Russian political pressure, which led to military intervention, some former Soviet states remained aligned with Moscow. The governments of Belarus, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, and Armenia still host Russian troops.

Problems arose for Ukraine and Georgia as they elected governments, implemented democratic reforms, and sought closer ties with the West

What happened next was nothing new. History is full of wars fought in the name of defending one’s interests and protecting ethnic minorities.

After World War II and then the Cold War, many attempts were made to bring the global community to a level playing field, regardless of who has which weapon and how much power.

But the idea of ​​establishing influence in the region could take us back to past historical times.