Atharv Dua Q2 Blog 8 - Yes, We Went to War over a Banana
I was scrolling through my previously written blogs today, and I couldn’t find one mention of current geopolitics in the previous few blogs! For some reason, I’ve always been interested in the way nations interact with each other around the world, and the implications of that for ordinary people like us. American involvement in geopolitics has been immense recently, and historically everywhere: we once went on a spree of wars for 35 years over a banana. While whether today’s involvement is in a good or bad way is up to interpretation, there are certainly some conclusions we can draw on the US’s foreign policy stance.
Let’s start with Asia, specifically South and South-East Asia. You’ve probably heard on the news why this region is so absolutely critical for every major power. Not only does it hold half the entire world’s population, but both Russia and China seem to want to control the Indian Ocean and the Arabian Sea. Indeed, Russia has been investing heavily in getting closer with India, as the Russia Today network (largely accepted as propaganda) is gaining a foothold in Indian markets and Putin recently concluded a “friendly visit” to India. Moreover, China is investing heavily in its Belt and Road initiative, which is helping it construct ports all over South Asia.
Why?
China has one primary weakness: the Strait of Malacca. This is surrounded by nations hostile to China, and can be blocked off easily by the US Navy. It is also the strait where 80% of Chinese trade passes through, and without it, the Chinese economy would starve. This is why they are building ports in Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and attempting to build a land route for trade with Europe and the Middle East.
What is the US doing?
Talking to a politician from Louisiana for a solid 15 minutes and then deciding to tariff Thailand, India, China, and Canada over rice? Check. Coercing Indonesia (a nation with direct control over the Malacca Strait) into a not-so-amazing trade deal? Check. Antagonizing every nation possible with tariffs? Close enough.
That is not to say that the US is horrible at foreign policy. It is currently treading the line between supporting Japan and angering China into all out war over a fishing boat (we’ve been to war for less), and is supporting attempts at democratic transformations in Myanmar through rebels against the Junta. Also, the US is continuing talks with Iran to ensure that yet another nation does not get a nuclear armament program.
Overall, whether the US’s foreign policy is a shining green light for the future or a golden parrot trying to save us from ourselves (get it squared) is up for debate, and a lot of what will happen from here on out will be decided through the midterm elections, because different pressures will be put on the executive branch depending on the majority in Congress. America has immense influence on the world thanks to geopolitics: let’s maintain that influence.
Hello, Atharv! I love how you managed to keep the same recurring strange titles while making your blogs relevant to current events, but I would have loved to hear more about how the banana wars happened and how it affects our current Southern-American policies. The focus on our Eastern relations was interesting to read, as I never really considered what was going on in the Indian Ocean and Arabic Sea. The recent foreign policies by our administration are indeed troubling as they weaken our global strength, and allow other countries to grow stronger. It seems that Trump is wholly focused on America’s internal problems (that he’s creating) instead of improving our global relationship. This obviously isn’t good, as it allows China (with its history of being powerful and having a lot of people to maintain that) to grow stronger. To maintain America’s political and economic superiority, we really need to revisit how we view our place among other countries.
ReplyDeleteHi Arthav! I really thought you were going to talk about the Chiquita conflict in the 1970s. I remember going over this conflict in AP World last year and I would talk to my teacher about the absurdity of our country’s geopolitics during and after the Cold War.
ReplyDeleteI also share your love for geopolitics. I remember a conversation we had at the beginning of the semester about Ronald Reagan and it was so refreshing to finally talk to someone aware of the insanity that occurred during his presidency.
In my opinion, I feel like the U.S. is very much like a nosy neighbor. It seems like we are always involving ourselves in conflicts that don’t require us, making me infuriated because why are we paying for Israel’s free healthcare when we don’t have free healthcare ourselves?
I really enjoy your blog posts, as you seem to highlight the absolute circus show that America is right now. Your title is reminiscent of a friend sitting down and telling me crazy gossip. At this point, it could be because why are we so obsessed with bananas?
I really enjoyed this blog Arthav, great job!